Across the Hallway
by twishinky
Summary: Finished! All Twelve Chapters--- KK fic, totally WAFFY, a little steamy, romantic, funny... Well just read! Better summaries (if you could call it that) inside.
1. The Saiyuki Bar

Across the Hallway

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…

A/N: My first try at a fanfic!!! Not really sure if its great… but anyway, just trying… please review... or as its said, R&R... I hope no one throws a tomato… advice welcome. I actually have around 8 chapters already, but just trying this one for size. I've never posted before... If positive, will put the rest up. Oh, and its a KenshinKaoru fic, but others are around as well. A bit OOC but that's expected when its an AU right? Enjoy! =^l^= miaow  


PS. Rated for language/topics... ;)  


Chapter 1

The Saiyuki Bar

The Saiyuki bar was the busiest Japanese bar and restaurant in working man's district of New York, and tonight was no exception. The Friday crowd was rather rowdy at the moment, and the female populace in the bar cast long sided looks to the tall man with brown hair styled like I-just-got-up-out-of-bed look in designer jeans that framed a great ass and a white shirt that had seen better days, a modern version of the 50's bad boy image. After looking at him, the long red haired shorter man beside him almost got by unnoticed if it wasn't for the gentle lavender eyes contradicting his red hair but somehow making him look good. 

"The client was such an idiot, I always wonder how he ever got enough brain power to figure out that his wife was cheating on him!" Sanosuke Segara, the tall one, guffawed at the bar to Kenshin Himura, the red haired man next him. Kenshin just smiled, and said "I feel sorry for him, Sano-san, now he has to try to live every day with the fact. I can relate." He added dryly. The two were partners in a private investigation agency they had set up some years ago, not to mention roomies, and knew almost everything about each other. 

A female voice interrupted suddenly. "The trouble with you Kenshin, is that your heart is just soooo compassionate—and THAT'S what I like about in a man!!! Oh-ho-ho-ho!" A beautiful, svelte lady with fox ears dressed in Prada sidled up to Sanosuke's side with a really impish light in her eyes. 

"Hello, Megumi-dono." Kenshin smiled in greeting his and Sano's physician-doctor, Megumi Takani, who was also Sano's long time girlfriend. Sano's greeting was less than polite. 

"Oi, fox-lady, what took you so long? I almost had to pick up one of the groupies over there..." He flicked his hand toward the high table of college girls in scandalously short skirts looking him over with gusto.

  
"Is that so? Well go ahead! Let's see if you can last two seconds after they figure out from the first word you utter that you're totally lacking a brain, rooster head!" And from then on, they started bickering and baiting each other, much to the delight of the bartender, who was used to the exchange and would take bets to see who would win each Friday with the other crew.

Kenshin looked at his two best friends in the world, and thought_, they're really a beautiful pair. I wish I could be just as carefree as they are. But I screwed up, and this is just Karma. *sigh*_

"Ken-san? You look depressed. Have you been getting laid lately?" Megumi asked, cutting off the argument with Sano and breaking Kenshin's reverie.

"Oro?!" Kenshin remarked, turning red.

"Don't you 'oro' me, hello, this is your doctor speaking and I know for a fact that you have healthy parts, you just need to jumpstart your system!" Megumi shot back.

"Maa, maa, Megumi-san, I was just thinking that I should be getting on with the paperwork. The agency is really behind on the filing." Kenshin said. Had he been so transparent? Or was Megumi just being her nosy self?

"Come on, Kenshin, you always have to be so uptight about everything, like some paper work will be the destruction of tomorrow if it doesn't get filed right away" Sano said, referring to the Sekihoutai private investigation agency he and Kenshin poured their life's work in. "I think you just need more beer so you can pick up a one-night stander and so that Miss-I-think-getting-laid-will-solve-everybody's-problem here can shut up." Kenshin blushed even brighter at this remark.

"You lousy, good-for-nothing bum! Just watch and you won't be ever getting some from me!!!" Megumi shrieked. 

"Oh yeah?! And just who was it you were begging to last night to hayaku, hayaku?!"

"Baka!"

"Shrew!"

At that, the doctor grabbed one of her shoes and whacked Sano hard. He K.O.'d on the floor, eyes swirling. Silently, the bartender passed five dollars to grinning waiter who came up to the bar to collect his winnings. _Never mind_, he thought. There's always next Friday.

Kenshin laughed at the two of them. He knew no matter how violent their conversations and arguments got, Megumi would always give TLC to Sano in private, and Sano never took it against her that she became violent, or become physically abusive to her. He always said that her pampering was just what he needed (after ranting about Megumi's behavior for half a day) and Megumi would say that any day wouldn't be complete without the insults flying back and forth between them (out of Sano's hearing, of course).

"Maa, maa, Sessha will find his way home now. Are you going to be able to carry him with you, Megumi-dono? I can bring him to your place if you would like, that I would." Kenshin offered.

"Oh Ken-san, I'm good. I'll just do this." With that, she grabbed the nearest glass of water and splashed Sano with it.

"What the f---" Sano sputtered.

"See? Now you don't have to carry him" Megumi said brightly.

Kenshin laughed some more. "I'll be on my way, Sano-san, Megumi-dono. I'll tell Yahiko not to wait up for you."

"You do that, Himura, and I'll see you tomorrow at the office" was Sano's reply, and promptly went back to getting Megumi pissed again, starting up another round of bets between the crew and the bartender.  


  
_________________________________  


A/N: Pleeeeease review :) I don't live in the States but I am fascinated with New York and how people can just blend in, whatever culture, that why i put them there... just in case anyone wondered... and I decided against the last name first policy, it is after all, in the US and not Japan. The word Saiyuki was borrowed from one of my other fave anime--- Gensomaden Saiyuki. But none of them appear here, I'm not that adventurous yet, hehe. Hopefully I didn't make a mess of the san, chans and what nots :) Til next time then... 


	2. The meatpacker's district

Across the Hallway  


  
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…

A/N: Thanks to Hitokiri miao miao, my first ever reader/reviewer. You inspired me to put the 2nd-4th chapters so far... That one review convinced me that it wasn't as horrible as I had thought. My Spanish isn't all that good, and how I wish I could read Spanish fast and well so I could understand better your fics... but the english one's nice too =^ l ^ =   


I love the Sano/Megumi pairing! But I like Kenshin/Kaoru better... and this is what it's about ;)  


PS. The Meatpacker's district is really a place in New York (actually if one watches Sex and the City, its where Samantha moved after the building where she lived couldn't take her anymore and threw her out!), and I believe that organized criminal gangs have tentacles and divisions everywhere... There is no where really safe, is it? :)  


Hopefully no tomatoes or other various vegetables for the next ones as well... Please Read and Review!  
  
Chapter 2

The Meatpacker's District

Kenshin Himura walked home, taking shortcuts that were second-nature to him ever since the day his godfather, Hiko Seijurou, brought him to the noisy city of New York after his parents died in Japan. 

_Don't think about that. That belongs to a past that should remain there. It's not your fault. _

_"Are you sure?" a sly voice insinuated._

Kenshin put a halt to his thoughts. He really hated that! An alter-ego that just won't shut up. He spent ten years trying to get rid of Battousai, or manslayer--- a nickname his colleagues had given to "his other self" in his 4 years with the secret service, where after 2 years in the marines, he had been the most vicious bodyguard/assassin of the US government until he got sick of it all. He still had the scars, both physical and emotional to prove it, the most prominent being the cross shaped scar on his left cheek. 

He started frowning at the pavement. _I wonder if Megumi is right. Maybe I should get laid. Buddha knows, its been a while since Tomoe. But then, that was my fault. I pushed her away. At least Akira is a good, decent man. I'm glad they forgave me for almost killing them. I, on the other hand, can't. I'm too unworthy. I'm really a Sessha of the first order, I guess the fact that Buddha keeps me alive is the cosmic way to tell a joke..._

With that depressing thought, he turned left to the meatpacker's district and was oblivious to the catcalls and come-ons of the high-end prostitutes, transvestites and transsexuals that prowled the streets at night. 

"Hey Red! When are you and me making beautiful magic?" A blue haired transvestite called out.

"Oh no you don't, you little boy in a dress, that hunk of a chest with the lavender eyes belong to me, honey! Mm-um-mm-mm-hmmm..." Another of the colorful people retorted.

Kenshin smiled his trademark smile, used to the banter, knowing it was harmless. He used to be apprehensive to Sanosuke's decision a year before to move to this area, knowing its "artistic" reputation and the fact that it had one of the highest rental rates in Manhattan, but gave in since Sanosuke said that he wanted Yahiko Miyojin, his younger half-brother whom he saved from the Yakuza (after discovering the fact that he had a brother) 5 years ago, to be near the high school he was going to. For all Sano's roughness and bluster, Kenshin knew that he cared about his brother and tried to be a parent, brother and friend rolled into one, and the kid adapted quite well. Sometimes too well, but then that was Sano's doing. Right now the 16 year old was probably vegging out on the couch with his playstation, he thought, as he cranked up the creaky elevator to their floor.

He opened the industrial door to their spacious apartment, a big transition from the factory like surroundings that their building emanated. It was the giveaway that they were really Japanese (although he was told that he had Irish lineage, referring to the fact of his red hair and lavender-amber eyes) at heart, evident in the clean wood planks, simple linear furniture, futons and shoji doors/screens. But it also had modern conveniences, like the Sub-zero refrigerator, huge entertainment set-up that Sanosuke insisted upon, and at Kenshin's insistence, the kitchen and laundry gadgets with plenty of work space. The resident redhead felt that both cooking and laundry were therapeutic, much to Sano's disbelief and side comments of 'if I didn't know better, I'd think you're a fag' which he pretty much ignored because he knew that hell would freeze over before he got attracted to a man. He had gotten used to hiding his emotions pretty well, but he was still a man's man when it got to THAT department. Besides, they would all starve or eat take-out everyday if they left Sano in charge of acquiring food.

After taking a look around, Yahiko was nowhere to be found. Getting a little worried, because he remembered a time during the adjustment period between Sano and Yahiko wherein the younger boy would always pack-up and leave whenever he felt threatened, ending up in Sano and him scouring the streets until they found him. However, it had already been three years since Yahiko last did that. _Maybe he left a note, _Kenshin thought, going into kitchen. Sure enough, he found a post-it stuck on the refrigerator. It read "Helping out next door. Be back later." He was struck dumb by the note. "Oro?!"

_Helping out next door? Did pigs fly and I didn't notice? _

_Shame on you, Kenshin Himura. I thought you thought good of everybody else, Battousai commented, laughing in his subconscious._

That did it. Kenshin mentally shook himself said aloud "Glad to see he's learning to help out. A major improvement." Then he felt stupid saying it to an empty apartment. 

He started towards the washing machine with the intent of doing the laundry, since both Yahiko and Sano would go through all of their clothes down to the last pair of clean underwear before they would even _think _to do the laundry. However, the note nagged and gnawed at his thoughts. Of course he was happy that Yahiko was improving, but what or more specifically, _who _was adding extra pressure on him to do good. Kenshin was at a dilemma. He felt guilty over not spending as much time with the youngster lately, since he knew that Yahiko looked up to him just as much as he did Sano. Maybe we really should go watch that horror movie he wants, sort of a bachelor bonding day with just him, Sano and Yahiko, he thought. 

Finally, curiosity got the better of him, and after debating with himself whether he should go over and also help out, or let Yahiko work out his breakthrough in manners alone, he decided to go over.

Little did he know that life as he knew it was going to change.  


  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  


  
A/N: I think there should be translations for their thoughts, because i believe that Kenshin is still a guy, after all. He just has a lot of thoughts going on under that major control issue of his emotions and politeness.  
  
I'm not sure if this is really classified as a cliffhanger, but if it is... well wow, I'm learning! hehehe Please don't forget to R&R, thanks!


	3. The neighbor

Across the Hallway  


  
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…

A/N: Just a warning, i'm not sure if its rated, but at the very least it should PG for the topics. ;) R&R please! all comments, even vegetables, welcome... although hopefully, no veggies... 

_____________________ 

Chapter 3

The Neighbor

Kenshin walked across the elevator bay to the only other unit on their floor. He noted that the door was half open, and shook his head. The neighbor was either very naïve or a new comer to NYC, or he/she would've known that it was a bad move to leave anything open. That just leaves invitation for a bad element to come in. _Someone should really warn them_. As he went nearer the door, he could hear sounds of female laughter and Yahiko's voice complaining and saying something like Hag. At that, Kenshin frowned, thinking that it was time for the kid to learn how to respect his elders, envisioning an eighty year old little lady living next door.

"Hello?" Kenshin rapped on the half-open door. No one seemed to have heard him, and all the sounds seemed to have come from inside one of the rooms, so he went inside, making sure to lock the door securely behind him. He noticed that there were a few unopened boxes lying around, but the room was already fixed, and what astonished him was that a large part of the space was fixed dojo-style, the authentic Japanese way that never changed since several hundred years ago. He drew nearer to the wooden plaques with names hanging on the far wall, and caught Yahiko's name on one.

_Yahiko studying a martial art?! I'm impressed! No wonder his behavior changed. But why is he hiding it from us? I should really spend time with him and update myself on what he's doing. Or maybe his teacher._

"Errr... Hello?" He ventured calling out a second time, walking towards the shoji door where he saw several shadows moving on the other side, another style he approved of. Obviously, the sensei was a traditionalist. _Good_, he thought. Yahiko has the good sense to recognize the structure, even if he can't understand it yet, growing more and more impressed at the direction things were taking. 

As he neared the door, it suddenly slid open to reveal a girl in cutoff jeans bending over, pulling something on the ground with her very nice backside and a great pair of legs facing him. He could do nothing more but stare since its been some time since he had such a nice display of assets in front of him that he didn't notice the girl turning her head back until she screamed "HENTAI!!!", pulled out a bokken and whacked him hard on the head with a swing that would have made Joe DiMaggio proud. 

"Oroooo?!"

The last thing he heard was Yahiko's "Hey, that's Ken—-" before he crashed to the floor and blacked out.

-o-

"Oro" was an understatement for what Kenshin felt the moment he came back to consciousness. He felt like hell. His stomach felt curiously cramped. What he also felt was tickling sensation, like hair falling on his face. He decided to open them, although he felt as if he had a major hang over and a large bump on his temple was throbbing like there was no tomorrow.

Gentle lavender met worried deep blue pools. At least that was what he thought when he saw just who was sitting on his stomach, leaning over him with her raven hair falling out of her ponytail onto his face. It was the girl with the cute butt. On closer observation, the rest of her was very nicely put, too. _Oh give it a rest, Battousai. Kiss mine, Himura, I'll stare as long as I want._

Kaoru Kamiya blinked. _Hubba-hubba. I thought he was quite good looking unconsious, but those eyes just put everything into a great looking package, don't they?_ She felt a strange connection with the stranger that Yahiko said lived with him, and then—

"If it pleases you, Sessha is alright and would like to try standing up now." The red haired man said and smiled gently at her.

_Omigod_. _I knew I missed the line where Kami-sama handed out brains. _"Oh I'm so sorry! I thought that somebody had broken in the house when I saw you..." Kaoru trailed off because how in God's name was she going to say, 'when you were staring at my hiney?' delicately to someone she just met and knocked unconscious? So instead, she just scrambled up, not knowing she was giving him yet again a very nice view of herself, particularly the very hiney in context. All she saw that he winced when in her hurry, she made him shift his position on the floor uncomfortably. Guilt made her feel bad and ask, "are you sure you're ok?".

"Hey Hag, what did you do to my friend?" Yahiko spoke after the scuffle, making Kaoru glare at him with a 'you're dead' expression, bringing Kenshin back to reality. Yahiko had his arm around the waist of a familiar, young, pretty girl hiding half her face with a box she carried. Must be the girlfriend he was telling us about, he thought. _So who's Blue Eyes? And why does Yahiko call her Hag? She isn't even remotely..._

"I... I think he's coming to, Kaoru-san" Tsubame, Yahiko's junior high friend and current girlfriend, said at the same time that another voice coming towards them said, "Kaoru, I have the ammonia..." All the voices died away as they observed Kenshin getting up.

A chorus of "Oh good, he doesn't seem to need this" and "Kaoru, Tsubame, Tae, meet Kenshin, Sano's best friend, business partner and our roomie" and "Are you feeling all right now, or should I go fetch a doctor?" greeted him as he stood up. 

"Maa, maa" Kenshin said, smiling back at all of them, "Sessha is feeling alright and there's no need for a doctor, really. Kaoru-dono, Tae-dono and Tsubame-dono, it is nice meeting you. I'm sorry for interrupting, but I just wanted to see where Yahiko was, because he was not at home when I came, and to see if you still needed any extra help."

Kaoru and Tae looked at him in astonishment. Was he for real? In New York?! He was so polite! Not what they expected after Yahiko's story of him being a former Secret Service agent, and everyone knew that if you were one, manners were never a crucial point in training. _And what was this Sessha business all about? _Kaoru thought_. Talk about low self-esteem. He's built like a rock, for all that he looks slender and slight. I personally felt his muscles when I sat on him... _Kaoru blushed slightly and to cover the awkward silence, she said "Oh no, that's quite all right, we were just finishing up here, we were about to go for a midnight snack back at the Akabeko, the restaurant down the street. Tae-chan and her sister, Tsubame-chan, own and operate it. Would you like to join us?" Kaoru asked. She hoped he would say yes. She was dying to know more about the next door neighbor and she was sure Tae with her ever-present matchmaking heart would, too. Who wouldn't? He may be on the short side as compared to some men she knew, but he was just perfect for her. She was never model height, anyway.

"Of course, as long as it's this Sessha's treat" Kenshin gallantly said. Yahiko whooped and lead the way out the door with Tsubame in tow, chattering animatedly about computers and the newest alternative rock group. Tae told him "Oh, I wasn't planning on charging, you know, Kaoru being my childhood friend and all, but it was nice of you to offer." She smiled at him, then she saw him looking at Kaoru and both grinning at each other like idiots and understood better than anyone else what had just happened, so she shut her mouth and followed the kids out the door, her matchmaking instinct suddenly turned on. She had been after Kaoru to get a new boyfriend, after she broke up with Enishi when she found out that he was shacking up with a pink-haired bimbo. And that was 3 years ago! But Kaoru always had unique taste in men, she thought silently, and this one seems like a keeper. _Yahiko is pretty ok, maybe a bit bratty, but Tsubame seems to be good for him, and I don't believe that he's the type that would be happy living with a jerk--- so I guess that redhead isn't. I hope that this time around, though, no one gets hurt. Let the games begin! _Tae smiled craftily as she stepped outside the door.

  
______________________________________________________________  


A/N: I actually have 9 chapters already, but slowly going through the pace of putting them up one by one... thanks again to everyone who reads this in advance :) R&R please!  



	4. At the Akabeko Restaurant

Across the Hallway  


Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…

A/N: Kenshin is not a saint. Just some major control wars going on beneath those wonderful eyes of his… RAted for topics and thoughts. Oh and I'm an architect, by the way, so i love to describe surroundings... 

_____________________________________________________

Chapter 4

At the Akabeko Restaurant

The walk to the street corner was one Kenshin had never experienced before. Between the apartment building and the restaurant, Kaoru and Yahiko had probably exchanged just as much insults as Sano and Megumi would in a 30-minute spar, although theirs were less adult content and more of a younger brother-older sister kind. Yahiko wouldn't quit calling her Busu, Hag, Ugly and everything related to it, and Kaoru in turn, threatened him that she was going to make him do 500 swings with his bokken the next time he comes to class and to clean her whole apartment tomorrow since it was littered all over with boxes, packing tape and other assorted packing materials.

"Sheesh, why couldn't you have moved someplace else? Now I can never sleep in..." Yahiko moaned. 

"To keep an eye on you, that's what!" Kaoru retorted. "Besides, it costs less to have a big apartment here and use it as the dojo and my home rather than having to rent the house and the dojo separately." Kaoru primly replied.

"Umm, pardon me for interrupting..." (The asker was rewarded with an adorable smile from Kaoru) "but Sessha would like to know how you and Yahiko met." Kenshin asked. 

_Whew! If she smiled more at me, I probably would have melted on the spot! She is one beautiful lady. But I can't spoil her with my... tainted past. I wish I could ask her out, but I can't._

_Oh, but I can take over for you if you'd like... _The hateful voice in him was taunting him again! Sheesh, what can he do to make it stop--- then Kenshin slowly realized that Kaoru was talking to him, so he put on his trademark smile and drew near enough to smell her... She smelled like jasmine flowers. He groaned inwardly. He had always been a sucker for girls with flowery smells.

In the time it took for Tae to open the doors (the restaurant was already closed) and seat all of them comfortably, Kenshin had learned that Kaoru was the Physical Education teacher in Yahiko's school and that she encouraged and browbeated him to start training with the bokken, Kamiya Kasshin Ryu or The Sword that Protects style because she had saved him once from getting caught by the high school principal in a fight with a boy who was bullying Tsubame. She felt that it would be better for him to let excess energy out with discipline, and instead of doling out detention, had included him in her roster of students. 

Yahiko, having sharp ears, started to squirm when he heard his sensei telling Kenshin about that incident because he had not told him and his brother about it. He didn't want to see disappointment in their faces. He was bracing himself for it when, Kenshin turned to him and said "Well done Yahiko-san. It makes you a better person when you defend someone being bullied. I also think that it is best that you stay with Miss Kamiya in her school, I can see the improvement already." Yahiko's eyes went up to meet Kenshin's, and Kaoru's, and saw no disappointment there. It made him very happy, but of course, he had to be tough, so he said "Well, I had to do it for Busu here, or else she might have started crying and hit me with everything she's got!" At that comment, Kaoru shouted, "Mou!!!! You little brat!!!" and the bickering between Kaoru and Yahiko resumed.

-o-

The midnight snack was a lively affair, not to mention delicious as well. Tae was a very efficient woman, making sure all of their needs were taken cared of, and Kenshin was surprised that both her and Kaoru knew Sanosuke.

"Of course I know him, he has a long tab here! I'm surprised that you don't come in, though, although Sano-san and Yahiko-san both has mentioned to me and Kaoru about you several times already. It's nice to finally meet you, Kenshin-san." Tae said. "You're welcome here any time, don't be shy. And remember to refer our restaurant to others" she added.

"Hai, hai, Tae-dono, that I will. Many thanks for the meal tonight, it was very good." Kenshin replied.

"I think its time to wrap up, don't you? I'm sure Tae-chan still has a full day tomorrow and we have practice, Yahiko-chan!" Kaoru suddenly piped up. 

"I'm not a kid, Hag!" Yahiko returned with a long suffering tone.

Kaoru glared at him "Don't call me Hag, you brat! Just you wait tomorrow and I'll bokken your fanny from here until kingdom come!"

Yahiko just laughed heartily at the last comment.

_Liar, liar, pants on fire! _Kaoru's mind taunted. _You know full well you don't want it to end, he hasn't told you much about himself yet… _Unfortunately for her, everybody started picking themselves up and started getting ready to leave. She sighed softly, knowing that it was the right thing to say at the moment. Who knows what the red haired guy would have said if she asked him out for a stroll. _Kaoru no baka! _she mentally chided herself. _This is New York, girl, not a sleepy town in god-knows-where-ville._ She glanced sideways, and saw Yahiko give Tsubame a long goodbye kiss and whisper something that made her giggle. Kaoru sighed again. She missed that kind of intimacy. She stood up, saw Tae look at the young couple with a misty smile, and turned towards Kenshin. It was disconcerting to see that he was observing her seriously with those amethyst eyes that seemed as if they could see into her soul. Again she felt that nagging sensation of togetherness. _Get a grip, you've been watching too many chick flicks. He's probably just wondering about your goofy look! _ Kaoru blushed and decided to look away. And that was that.

_She's looking at Yahiko and Tsubame again. Does she like that kind of thing? I would sure love to do that to her… but I'm an old fart. No way in hell would she ever consider me to be the guy to do that to her. Besides, you don't deserve someone that innocent… you'll just corrupt her. So I'll settle for just looking and dreaming things that can never happen. _

_Shit, Himura, you're thirty one going ninety. I'm not, though, and for the record, I can do much more than that!!! _

_Oh shut your trap, Battousai. _Kenshin tried to draw a close on his troublesome thoughts while walking with Kaoru and Yahiko, who didn't seem to run out of insults for each other, back to their building. It seemed that the Battousai was in full force tonight, he thought. He better try meditating or centering himself, he thought, like one of his other friends… He mentally shook himself. _Ah Himura, the most you'll ever get out of that is a leg cramp. _He sighed, dragging himself back to awareness of his companions and the noisy street rather than his thoughts.  


  
___________________________________________________________________  


A/N: R&R please! Oh and in case anyone's wondering, -o- means a change of scene... Comments and suggestions very welcome! :)


	5. Confused Dreams

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…

A/N: I believe in prophetic dreams… and telepathic ones too… Many thanks to Azhdeen & azuma_ninja01, its reviewers like you guys that really keep me writing here *blushes and pokes them happily with a fan...* again, many thanks... or as Kenshin would say, "Arigatou Gozaimasu" take care! I'm putting up 3 chapters now... hope you like it *miaow* =^l^=  


___________________  
Chapter 5

Confused Dreams

Kenshin dozed off in his futon, from trying to clear his mind. The minute he closed his eyes the dreams began again.

_"AAAAAAAaaaahhhhh!"_

_"Don't kill me, I could pay you more than what you're getting now!"_

_"Have mercy, Battousai, have—"_

_All throughout the screams a bare chested amber eyed red haired man spattered with blood stood mercilessly with a sword and a gun and started to kill them one by one. But as he shot and slashed, ducked and whirled, his victims' ghosts suddenly rose and began edging nearer to the man, who didn't seem to notice until he came to the last man standing, a huge man in a white cloak with red trim and long black locks. The assassin took the stance and his target turned, and said,_

_"So you are going to use the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki on me, is it? Well just you try, baka deshi!" Hiko Seijurou took the stance as well._

_The assassin charged._

_The target charged… and died._

_At that point all the ghosts changed appearance to his parents' faces and started howling and the man's amber eyes turned to amethyst while he looked at the man lying immobile on the ground. "Hiko!!!!! Sensei!!!! Ottousan!!!! Okaasan!!! Nooooooooo!!!!" Kenshin screamed himself hoarse when realization set in._

_Suddenly, his vision swirled around him. He raised his sword and sliced through the haze. Then he was surrounded by a jasmine fragrance. Sapphire eyes crying, black hair, soft white skin. "Kaoru?" he asked brokenly, disoriented._

Kenshin woke up shouting and threw all his sheets away from him. He was used to the usual nightmares, considered it as penance for all the sins he committed in the past, but to dream of someone he just met? Now that was scary.

The sound of pounding feet outside the door alerted Kenshin to the fact that he woke Yahiko up. The door slid open to show the youth dressed haphazardly, hair sticking out every which way.

"Hey, man, are you alright? I think you woke the whole neighborhood up!!! I thought we were under attack or something! You even woke the dogs up!" Yahiko said with a grimace, noting that car alarms had set off and dogs were howling, much to the displeasure of other neighbors who had been disturbed.

"Gomen, Yahiko-san. I just had the nightmare again. I'm very sorry, I thought they were long gone, but I guess the past has a way of popping out when you don't want it to." Kenshin stared blankly at the wall, willing his heart to calm down. _I'm getting too old for this,_ he thought.

"Uhh ok then, I better get back to sleep. The Busu next door is a frickin' health buff that wakes up at 6am and eats nuts or something like that. Aurgh!"

"Yahiko?"

"What?" Yahiko turned as he was halfway out the door.

"Your teacher… is she… is sh… never mind. Good night Yahiko." Kenshin lied back down, turning on his side.

"Good night, Kenshin" Yahiko was struck dumb. _Kenshin had a thing for Busu next door? He never seemed to be bothered by any woman the whole five years they've lived together._ He rolled his eyes. _Grown-ups don't have any taste. Kaoru's, well, yeah, granted, she has a nice ass, and her eyes aren't bad, either, and is a great friend, as far as older people go, but her and Kenshin? Man, that dude has to seriously get laid! I just can't see Busu and her stupendous temper in that way… but it's really up to them. Come to think about it, it would be kinda cool to see what would happen between those two. I can't wait to tell Tsubame and Sano! _He reached the door of his room and went directly to his bed, falling asleep with a grin on his face.

At the other side of the building, Kaoru woke up with a start, as if someone had shouted her name in her ear. 

"What the…" she muttered sleepily, glancing about. After seeing no one around, she fell back to sleep again.  


  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________  


A/N: I have a friend to dedicate this chapter too... when we were somewhere in our preteens, *wink* we had this connection where before the other one picks up the phone to call, the other would've just connected and greets you on the other side of the telephone instead of the dial tone. So, I used dreams instead! Again, comments welcome. ;)  


PS. to azuma --- sorry, it got a little bit long winded but will try to hurry things up... :)  



	6. Sekihoutai Confession

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…

A/N: There's a surprise for Aoshi-Misao pairing… rather OOC for both but nobody can be that squeaky clean in thought and mind… _*receives a fan-smack from Watsuki-sama*_ might put it in the next chapter… _*receives another smack* _Oooow… Don't forget to review! :)

_________________________________

Chapter 6

Sekihoutai Confession

Kenshin was up and early, like he always was, to cook the first meal of the day for Yahiko. He didn't want to doom the poor kid to eating nuts, as he hated nuts himself, and from the little tidbit he learned from last night, Yahiko's kendo teacher seemed to be the go-go-go health food type. Not that he had anything against those types, but somehow granola bars and sunflower seeds for breakfast didn't hold any appeal for him. After cooking, he went to do this daily thing and changed to go to work. As he looked at his clothes, he picked out a black turtleneck shirt he hadn't worn in a long time and a pair of Levi's that fit to every contour of his body.

_Whoa there, Himura! You haven't decked yourself out in a long time! Looks like you're going all out to impress Ms. Blue Eyes next door, aren't we?_

_What, this old thing?_

_Oh joke me again, you haven't worn that since Tomoe left you. You damn well know that shirt brings out the color of your hair and those jeans make your ass look good. What, you hoping that she might see you when you step out the door?_

_Doesn't a guy have the right to look good sometimes?_

_Hey, don't quarrel with me, Bud. I got nothing against us looking good. In fact, I was getting worried that I might have been trapped in the body of a nerd who feels comfortable being a nerd._

_Well whatever you say. This is to make me feel good and I'm not out to impress someone. Anyone._

_Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one of these days I'll start believing you. Don't forget to put on some of that Escada perfume Megumi gave you as a birthday gift--- you know chicks dig that smell._

Kenshin grimaced, then went to look for the bottle of perfume. 

-o-

"My, my, who are you and what did you do to my boss?" Misao Mikamachi, the hyper and cute secretary cum all arounder at the Sekihoutai wolf whistled as Kenshin walked through the door. "You may nearly be as handsome as Aoshi-sama. Of course, no one reaches that level but you sure look like you could be a contender! So what's the story, oh Mr. Mysterious? Hot date later? Or did you finally get laid after so many years?"

"Oro?!" _Why was his sex life suddenly the topic of interest for everybody?!_ Kenshin thought. It was the second time someone commented on his getting laid in less than 24 hours!

"Come on, Himura-san, give me the goods!" Misao said, seeing the way Kenshin was blushing.

"Oi! Weasel-girl, quit hounding Kenshin. But really, did you finally get around to getting some last night? And who was it? I knew I should have gone home instead of Megumi's! Maybe we could have even had an 'alternative recreation experience', eh?" Sano smirked, still in the clothes he wore the previous night, went around his partitioned space to sit on the corner of Misao's desk.

"That's disgusting even from you! And who're you calling weasel, rooster-head?!"

Kenshin cut in before they started going for each other's throats. "No, I did not get some, as you put it, last night. I just felt like dressing up a bit, it's a beautiful day." He turned, going to his partitioned office hoping they wouldn't notice his red face.

"Right. You don't fool me with that smile of yours, Himura. But we'll get back to it when it's just us men and no unattractive weasel-girls are listening in."

Ninja stars and mini knives whizzed through the air at Sano, who avoided them with experience. They landed just an inch away from where he was sitting.

"MOU!!! If you insult me again---" 

Misao never got to finish her threat because the door to their little office swung open and Aoshi Shinomori, the love of her life and one of the investigation office's key information consultants, walked in. The tall man, wearing 2 guns and decked out all in leather ala-Matrix style, barely seemed to notice her looking at him with shining eyes full of longing and hunger.

"I have the information you asked for, Himura-san. What case are we profiling her for?" Aoshi declared, sitting on one of the guest chairs in Kenshin's office and placing a manila envelope across his desk.

Misao and Sano both stared over the partition, curious to hear what they were talking about.

"Ahhhh… errr…" Kenshin opened the envelope and started reading without answering.

"Hey Ice Cube, what information? We just paid you last week!" Sano said over the partition.

"You don't know?" Aoshi asked Sano, looking a bit bewildered. "Himura-san called me this morning and asked me to get information regarding one Miss Kaoru Kamiya. I owe him a favor for saving my life from that crazy burnt up Shishio nut so this is for free."

"Kaoru Kami—Holy!!! Jo-chan?! What do YOU have against her? Did she deck you with that awful bokken of hers or something? I didn't even know you two knew each other." Sano grinned and looked at Kenshin, who was trying to hide his head in the file he was reading.

"Hey, who's this Kamiya you're all talking about? I used to know a kendo school of that name but that was back in California." Misao asked, sniffing really juicy gossip.

"Yahiko's P.E. teacher in school, met her at the PTA's I attend. How'd you get to know her, Kenshin? You never go to the Akabeko or to PTA meetings..." 

"Yeah, spill the beans, Himura-san, who's the girl? I knew something was up when I saw you all dressed up today. It's a beautiful day, FEH!" 

"You mean this wasn't a life and death thing? You called in a favor just for some girl?!" Aoshi exclaimed incredulously. "You should've just told me straight, really, Himura, this isn't like you"

"Again, how'd you meet Jo-chan?"

Kenshin gave up trying to be secretive. "Okay, okay! I met her last night, she moved in next door. Yahiko was over there, helping out. I helped out too, after she knocked me unconscious with her bokken. Then we went over to Akabeko, had a midnight snack, went to our respective homes, and that's all."

"And?" three voices asked in unison.

"And what?" Kenshin replied, trying for innocence.

"Kenshin no baka! Quit going for the innocent act. We all know there's something behind it!" Misao exclaimed, growing impatient evident in the way a vein started throbbing on her forehead.

"Maybe you need to center yourself, Misao." Aoshi told her.

Misao was already in fuming mode at these words. "WHAT?! Center myself so I can become just like you? A dense ice cube informant who can't see the forest for trees! Why I call you Aoshi-sama is beyond me sometimes! Aaaaargh!" Misao stormed off to her desk, whipping her long black braid in Aoshi's face, steam rising from her ears. 

"What was that all about?" asked Aoshi, surprised.

At this point, Sano was doubled up in laughter. "You guys are really something! No wonder I'm the only one with a girl! Look, let's all meet up somewhere later tonight and sort things out, ok?" Sano strode off to his desk, still laughing.

Aoshi stood up. "Well if you're going to be all secretive about it, I'll just wait for tonight. Rewards are reserved for those whose patience is infinite. By the way, Segara, you can use my place for tonight." He left the office, ignoring Misao again, who was close to shedding tears from frustration.

_Wow, Buddha-center-yourself-boy was all mouth today, wasn't he? Why couldn't he have picked a better time to open his mouth than about this? Its bad enough he doesn't talk half the time and then when he does, it's always at the most awkward moments you can imagine._

_Well, I told you to let me take over, Good-boy-Himura. I wouldn't have stooped to this secrecy mumbo-jumbo. You're just complicating it for yourself._

_I can't have her, okay? I'm just trying to satisfy myself in the way that I can!_

_You really are a baka deshi. Why ignore something that is already a part of you?_

_Ah great. NOW you turn shrink on me._

_Hello, earth to my other half, I'm just trying to help so both of us would be happy._

Kenshin, knowing the truth from his alter-ego but not liking it, turned to his filing cabinets and sighed.  


_  
__________________________________________________________________________________  
_

_A/N: Just venting out frustration on Kenshin... I didn't sleep at all when I wrote this...  
  
_


	7. The Conference

Across the Hallway  
  
A/N: Surprise lemon comes in here... Rated! Definitely. But only for about 2 paragraphs... Don't forget to R&R! Oh and Hiko isn't dead by the way, just some major psycho hangup that Kenshin has in dreams about killing everyone close to him re. Chapter 5 :D  
  
  
  
  
  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 7

The Conference

The living room of the luxurious 2 storey penthouse of Aoshi Shinomori, ex-CIA agent, gave a great panoramic view of Central Park to the group assembled there. Sano, of course, had called in all the reinforcements to help his best friend conquer his self-loathing--- just SO said friend can get laid and the rest can quit pestering him. 

Present in the group were: Aoshi-sama (it was his house, after all), Misao, Yahiko, Tsubame (at Yahiko's insistence), Sano, Hiko Seijurou (Kenshin's godfather and mentor), Megumi, and Kenshin. A surprise guest arrived, the chief of police for oriental affairs, Saitoh Haijime.

"Yuck. Who invited chimney over there?" Yahiko spat, on seeing Saitoh. They had no love for each other--- Saitoh was responsible for almost landing Yahiko in juvie. The chimney just stared at him with cold, yellow eyes and lit a cigarette.

"Yeah, who invited you?" Sano also said, just because he hated Saitoh's guts.

"Aoshi did. I had no desire to leave my wife's cooking for this, except that he said it was important. I owe him one." Saitoh's lips curled in distaste.

"You're married? Kami-sama how does she stand you? She must be a real saint to put up with the likes of you---" Sano was about to say more but Megumi reached out to hush him.

"Married with four kids" came smug reply.

"Ehem. Is there anything else to drink around here except Goddamned GREEN TEA?!" demanded Hiko.

He startled everyone into dropping from their seats.

"I don't have any sake but perhaps scotch on the rocks would do?" Aoshi asked after a stunned silence, bringing a bottle from the bar overlooking a jacuzzi.

"Straight up, please. Aaaah, much better. So, what has my baka-deshi been up to?"

"Wow, Aoshi-sama, I really love this view!!!" Misao called out from the floor to ceiling windows, hopping on one foot, Tsubame at her side looking slightly nauseous.

"Thank you. Now, come back to the group before I answer Hiko-sama's question."

Tsubame gave a sigh of relief as she and Misao joined the group again. Hiko didn't seem to notice that his question was unanswered, as he was busy polishing off the bottle of scotch. Sano and Megumi were poking each other, disagreeing upon something, and Yahiko was reading one of the Kendo magazines. Saitoh was smoking his 5th cigarette for the night calmly. Throughout the whole time, it was only Kenshin sitting silently, holding the file Aoshi had given him earlier in a death grip and looking as if his head was about to be cut off anytime.

"Shall we start? Sano, maybe you better explain the reason why we're all here, since it was your idea to hold this, er, shall we say emergency? meeting tonight."

"Okay ice-man, well, it looks like our red haired friend here is quite taken with someone."

At that announcement, there burst sarcastic laughter from Hiko, a raised eyebrow from Saitoh, fox ears on Megumi, and identical grins on Misao, Yahiko and Tsubame's faces.

"Oh seriously, rooster-boy, you mean all this hooplah is because baka-deshi suddenly remembered that he has hormones?! Might I tell you that I have better things to do than update myself on that baka's lovelife?!"

"Oh, Kenshin-kun, have you really? Is she pretty like me? Oh-ho-ho-ho!"

"I knew it, I knew it! You really have a thing for Busu! She must have hit you pretty hard with that bokken last night!!!" Yahiko couldn't stop himself from laughing.

Saitoh rolled his eyes.

"SHUT UP!!!" Aoshi roared out of the blue. For the second time that night, they were stunned into silence. "I noticed that Kenshin, who should be the one talking, hasn't said a word since he came here. I think the reason is that we are taking it much too lightly, and had forgotten that we are all here to help him because he is frightened to death at the very notion that he could have something with the mystery girl whose name, by the way, is Kaoru Kamiya. Isn't that right, Kenshin?

Kenshin, already a sickly pale green from all the comments, nodded. "I… I don't deserve her. That I don't. She's too innocent." He meekly said, his head hanging in embarrassment.

"WHAT?!" outrage sprang from the group as they sweat-dropped in unison.

"Kenshin-no-baka!!! What do you mean you don't deserve her, who's she, St. Teresa or something?" Misao shrieked and lunged at him, landing on his back.

"Ken-kun, stop punishing yourself over those past incidents. How can you heal if you don't let yourself?" Megumi said, fox ears in place.

"Dude… you've been my friend for many years and I think Jou-chan could be right for you… I'd have a thing for her myself if it wasn't for Megumi over here…" Sano got a whack from the fox lady.

"I still don't get why you're interested in her, but she's pretty ok, as far as Hags go." Added Yahiko.

"And maybe she likes you too." Tsubame had the final word. Everybody shut up and looked at her. Unaccustomed to such attention, the girl blushed, but continued. "I mean, my sister and I talked last night and Tae said that she could feel sparks flying off the two."

"Are you… is she… is that…?" Kenshin was unable to form a coherent thought.

All except Saitoh relaxed and started laughing. They (except for Hiko and Sano, and more recently, Yahiko) had never seen Kenshin so tongue-tied before.

"Dude, I think Megumi was right yesterday… you should really get laid!" Sano said, still chuckling.

"ORO?!"

"What a jackass." Saitoh commented. "Can't even ask a girl out without getting a consensus."

"Yeah, asshole?! No one here wanted you to come!" Sano spat back at him, itching to fight.

"Hey, no fighting in my home please. You break something, you pay for it. And you'll disturb the peaceful aura I spent years creating here." Aoshi interceded, seeing Saitoh and Sano start snarling at each other.

"Is that it, can I go home now?" Asked Hiko, looking bored, waving an empty Jack Daniel's in front of his face.

"Here, have another drink." Aoshi passed another bottle of scotch. Hiko gleefully took it from him.

"Wait, not yet. We have to plan how Ken-san will ask her out. So I think a background check is in order." Misao said, going into professional mode, prying the file from Kenshin's hand.

"Hmmm. What do we have here… Kaoru Kamiya, 24 years of age, born in Napa Valley, California. Master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu or the Sword That Protects style in bokken fighting. I knew it! This was the school I heard about! Anyway, P.E. teacher at the Three Crosses High School on the corner of 10th and 5th. Hum, hum, mum, what's this? Orphaned at 16 years old, moved to New York at 18. Finished college in 3 years by supporting herself waiting tables and translating Japanese into English. The poor girl! Lived alone since then. Had one boyfriend, Enishi Yukushiro at 20. Broke it off after one year of relationship." Misao looked up, teary eyed. "I admire her… not too many people can get in this situation and turn out successful like she did. Kenshin, I changed my opinion…. This girl can be a saint!"

Sano and Yahiko laughed hard at that. "Jou-chan?! A saint?! Bwahaha!!!!"

Tsubame frowned at her baka-boyfriend. "Yahiko-chan, shut up."

Yahiko shut up.

Sano, however, was laughing even harder. "Woo hoo!!! Just a kid and already under a girl's thumb! Nice going, Yahiko-chan!"

Misao, Yahiko and Megumi threw expensive tea sets and other assorted items they got their hand on at him. "BAKA-TORI-ATAMA!!!"

"Stop! Stop!! I said STOPPPP!!!!" Aoshi, finally pushed to the point of anger, raised his voice for the second time that night.

"But Aoshi-sama---" Misao stopped dead at the glacial glare she received from him.

Hiko, apparently, had fallen asleep with bottle in hand and was snoring lightly through the fracas.

"I see this is going nowhere. Tokio and the kids are waiting up. I'll go home now. Shinomori, lets call it quits." Saitoh stood, dusted ash off himself and made for the door. Aoshi stared at him in stony silence.

"Ah, Saitoh-san, thank you for at least trying to help out." Kenshin found his voice. Saitoh just looked at him and rolled his eyes. _What a waste of a man,_ he thought. 

Contrary to Saitoh's belief, however, in the chaos after Misao read Kaoru's profile, Kenshin had finally stopped struggling against the truth and had already formulated a plan. 

_I'll be damned before telling any of them, though._

_Oh, so we're going to bust a move, huh?_

_There's no 'we' about it. Just me. Plain old Kenshin Himura. _

Kenshin stood up and told everyone, "Arigatou de gozaru yo, minna-san. Many thanks to Aoshi-sama especially for volunteering his house, and I think we should think about going home, ne?"

"But we haven't planned anything yet!" 

"I know, I know, Megumi-dono, but I think I'm old enough to get through this on by myself, right?" For a second, an impish amber gleam appeared in his eyes. She blinked, but then it was gone.

Everybody except Aoshi, Misao and Hiko stood up and started gathering their belongings.

"Oi, weasel, aren't you going to get on home?"

"Go ahead, boss-rooster, I have some things to talk over with Aoshi-sama."

"Ok, then, just promise me that you won't molest him… we still need our top consultant, you know?" Sano winked and ducked a mini-knife. Aoshi cracked a smile but went back to his stoic stance when Misao turned. Kenshin, catching the smile, smiled at them. _So Ice Block has feelings for weasel girl after all! That's interesting… but Aoshi just might kill me before he even admits it. I'll leave the two of them alone._

"LLLooove meee innnn theee morning!!!!! WA-hoooo!!!" Hiko woke up and started singing drunkenly.

"Man, your godfather is a lousy drunk singer… Come on Tsubame-kun, I don't want to share a cab with that one." Yahiko said, grimacing in disgust at Hiko. The couple went out the door.

"Maa, maa, Yahiko-kun. He's a master at what he does." Kenshin went around to Hiko's side and lifted him up born out of experience for his former guardian's occasional drunken sprees.

"You mean he's a master-drunk-singer?" Sano asked in a mock-shocked face. 

Kenshin shot the door a nasty look as it closed on Sano and Megumi. Sometimes he didn't know why he did put up with his friend. Then he looked at his godfather who passed out again and was now drooling lightly in his sleep, and smiled a wry smile. Maybe he was just a sucker for pain. 

"You can put him up in one of the guest rooms on the second floor. He can go home in the morning, I don't mind. Can you see yourself out after?" Aoshi offered, while directing Misao to a door of a room in the corridor nearby.

"Many thanks, Aoshi-san. I don't know how far I can bring Hiko-sama with him being a deadweight. And yes, I'll see myself out." Kenshin, polite as always, replied with his rurouni smile. 

Kenshin found the stairs after a while of going up and down corridors with dead ends, locked rooms and hidden doors. He toiled up the stairs… _Shit! How many damn steps does it take to get to the second floor?! _Sweat was already beading on his forehead, and with each step he felt like it would take a hundred years before he would reach the top. _Curse Fucking-Aoshi-ice-block-sama on being too involved with the CIA that even his home looks like a classy terrorist hideout!_

_Oro! Did I just say f---?_

_Oh, and aren't we snippy today, my dear better half… I might be wrong about you after all… you do have spirit!_

_Yeah, and you're not carrying Mr. Weighs-a-ton-here. Get lost!_

Finally, he found a good bedroom and decided to put Hiko down, panting. He sat on one of the chairs and tried to catch his breath, wondering how the heck did his esteemed godfather gain all that muscle since they did the same exercises, both were a master at the ancient style of Hiten Mitseruugi, and ate the same food--- at least for about 15 years. _Hmmm… then again Hiko always said that my father was not a large man. I guess I'm stuck with a small physique forever… just another one of those cosmic jokes that Buddha loves to sic on people *sigh*. But at least I know that in the locker room, well… I can walk around naked with pride! _He grinned at the thought. All his past affairs were always pleasantly surprised at how his short, wiry frame carried a rather large package along with the muscles acquired from his disciplines, which worked out to his advantage, of course. Inner ego satisfied, he went out the room, and tried to retrace where the front door was. He promptly got lost for about half an hour.

-o-

_Whew! Finally… I see the light!!! Or rather, the bar where the living room is! _Kenshin was so happy at finally discovering the right corridor, it took about a second for him to realize that there were loud moans, snaps, bumps and a few creaks coming from the room at the left where a door was partially open, spilling a beam of light on the floor. His protective senses alerted, he crept in silence nearer to the door and watched the ceiling to floor mirror on the wall opposite it. The 2 minds in his head squeaked in unison…_ORO?!_

It took years of military training and discipline for Kenshin to be still after what he saw because the priceless sight before him was Aoshi spread eagled, buck naked, cuffed hand and foot to a four poster king sized bed with furry pink handcuffs. Misao was straddling him with her back arched, head tilted to the ceiling, tits in the air, clad in black leather strips that didn't cover anything, hanging on to 2 solid metal chains attached to the ceiling, both bumping and grinding for all their worth, expressions of ecstasy on their faces and yowling like cats. Kenshin, wide eyed in shock, blushing like crazy and flabbergasted, tiptoed along the hallway. He figured that they were too far gone to notice even if their room was burning down so he just went for it to the front door and let himself out as their moans started building up to screams that shook the whole house.  


____________________________________________________  


A/N: Sorry to all readers, I really wasn't up to putting up a long lemon about them... that would belong to K&K ;) And I always thought Misao and Aoshi are perfect for the S&M thing.... *ducks from a tomato thrown by a Misao-Aoshi fan* R&R :)  



	8. The Walk Home

**Across the Hallway  
**

  
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…  
  
A/N: Sorry for not putting up the disclaimer in the other chapter, I forgot... anyway, was that OOC for Aoshi or what? Anyway, this chapter is dedicated more to the KK relationship, so enjoy! Thanks again to azuma ninja for the review. Please R&R! I'd like to ask, do you write too, if so, what fanfic so I can return the favor and read your material too... :D I think my email's in the profile so just email me if ever, ok? :)  
  
PS. Rated for adult thoughts, just to be on the safe side.

**  
**

**_________________________________________________________  
**

**Chapter 8**

**The Walk Home**

"Have a pleasant evening sir! Would you like for me to call you a cab?" 

At the sound of the voice, Kenshin turned from the elevator bay, shaken out of his shock. "No, thank you, good sir, I think I would much rather take a walk…" he managed to call out to the doorman in a strangled voice. _It's a wonder I can even think at all much less speak! _

He took to the open streets once again, deep in thought. _Aoshi and Misao are for S&M? Who would've thought? Aoshi never reveals anything, damn his icy eyes, and for heaven's sake, Misao looks like a kid even if she's in her twenties. _

_Who are you, their maiden aunt?_

_Just shocked out of my wits. This week is endless in discoveries. Not that I should mind though. This is New York, anyway. Maybe I am getting too old._

_Feh! You should really get ourselves laid. You're starting to sound like a dried up prune. Stake out cute-ass-blue-eyes. You do have a plan, don't you?_

_Fuck off. I'm taking it slow._

_Any slower and you'd be dead._

_Well that would be familiar territory, wouldn't it?!_

A passerby gasped and pointed, startled at the redhead's eyes changing color from deep shades of purple to slashes of amber. Kenshin just pulled up his overcoat's collar and walked faster, alarmed that his eyes were the center of attention again. As he walked down alleys and shortcuts, he decided that maybe the best thing to do was to get an ice cream, the real, fattening, oodles of sugar home made kind that always made him feel better. It was one of the few pure pleasures left to him from his past after what he felt was a lifetime of killing. And he knew just the spot too, just 6 or 7 blocks away from the Sekihoutai, in a little shop that opened at midday and closed at about 5 in the morning, ensuring that even in the middle of the night, there would be ice cream. Typical of the city that never sleeps.

"Hey Kenshin, coming for your regular dose?" A wizened old man greeted Kenshin as he pushed open the door of the little ice cream parlor that looked like it belonged to a movie set from the fifties. 

"Good evening, Verdu-sama, how are things this evening?"

"Oh just fine, not much of a crowd, but then the discos and other things are more popular on the weekends… Just one other customer aside from you, a pretty young lady over there by the window. Seems odd for a Saturday night, but then again, young people nowadays!" Mr. Verdu cackled. "Okay here you go, your regular dark chocolate mint with chocolate syrup, I know you won't have it any other way." He handed Kenshin his ice cream dish.

Kenshin took the dish and paid for it, used to the old man's one-sided ramblings. He was about to turn and sit in his favorite spot when Verdu told him in a man-to-man kind of whisper "Maybe you should go over there and introduce yourself… She's a pretty little thing, and lonely to boot! If only I was a decade younger, I know I would! I mean, you always come in here alone, she's alone, maybe magic could happen…" and the old man went to the back room, whistling. Kenshin gave him an odd look, surprised at what he had said, and turned to look at 'the pretty little thing' sitting by the window.

He froze. It was Kaoru. Luckily, her back was turned to him so she hadn't seen him yet, but even though they had just known each other for less than a day, there was no mistaking the blue-black hair or the aura she carried herself with. 

Kaoru was staring at the window glass of the little ice cream shop, lost in thought about the day she had. _What an odd day! First, I had that weird dream where somebody yelled my name in my ear, then Yahiko kept giving me these little weird looks when he thought I wasn't looking, and then he got that call on his mobile and rushed out of my class without saying a word! It's so unlike him! And then I go to Akabeko, and find him there with Tsubame obviously dressed to go out, but then both of them give me weird looks and ran away from me! What is it, push Kaoru's buttons' day? I wouldn't be this mad if he just told me he had this prior thing to go to, but why so sneaky? Am I turning to be too strict? Too old maidenly? At 24?!!!_

At this point a vein in her forehead was starting to visibly strain against the turn her thoughts were taking and she gripped her spoon as if she wanted nothing better but to snap it in her fingers. _And to make it all worse, I had thought I would get a glimpse of Mr. Gorgeous-next-door-who-occupied-my-thoughts-the-whole-day but noooo… there was no one around when I thought of coming over to their place to get to know him better. Am I too aggressive? Is that it? I've been out of the dating circle so long I'm not sure how things are anymore… _

Kenshin was observing her, watching the myriad of emotions on her face reflected in the glass of the window in front of her, seeing her go from contemplative to angry to melancholy in an instant. 

_Old man Verdu was right, she does need company._

_Himura-no-Baka, it wouldn't matter what her feelings are, fact is she's in a cute little mini skirt showing off her long legs and a tight fitting top that just emphasizes how good her perky breasts look. You'd have to be a saint not to approach her! _

_Oro?! Okay, okay, you win. I admit. I want to go over to her because she's got my interest really piqued. I will put Phase I of my plan into effect._

_Sheesh… Interest really piqued? Phase I? What hell kind of language is that?! No wonder its been a while since Tomoe, what kind of loser plan would put romancing a girl into phases? Just say, Yes, Battousai, I want to go over there because my pants have become uncomfortably tight. (Battousai was laughing hard at this point.)_

_This is not a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'm type of plan. Not yet, anyway._

_So go for it, you dog you! And by the way… I notice that your SWORD down there is still at attention… (Battousai was still laughing as he faded away.)_

Kenshin stood from his seat and approached the girl he had been mooning about the whole day.

"Umm, hello Kaoru-dono" Kenshin smiled in greeting, inhaling her flowery fragrance that he noticed from their first meeting.

Kaoru's eyes flew up and widened in shock. Was she thinking too hard and this was an illusion? Then she saw his smile falter a little. Illusions are not insecure. And this illusion was looking rather good in a rumpled sort of way… the turtleneck and jeans under the tan overcoat hung quite well on his frame.

"Kenshin! I never would have thought you were the type to come here…" The minute she said that, she winced. _Great, Kaoru. Real polite and suave of you. Next thing you can do is beat him off with a stick, Kaoru thought sarcastically._

"This Seshha has gone through a long day and needed some pick-my-spirits-up food, that I did. May I join you?" Kenshin asked, already starting to doubt his decision to join her. _Maybe she wants to be alone._

Kaoru was staring at him wide-eyed.

"Kaoru-dono? I can take another seat if you'd rather be alone…" he trailed off weakly. _Man oh man, talk about a plan going all wrong…_

"Huh? Oh! Of course you can! I'm just surprised that's all… Today was a rather off day for me, too, don't mind me!" Kaoru snapped out of her stupefied state.

"So I guess I'm not the only one who needed some sugar after all! Want another serving? I'm buying, that I am." Kenshin said, smile back in place now that he was back in the game.

"Oh no, I need to lose a few…"

"Are you kidding me? You look great! Better than great, I should say" Kenshin's words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. There was an awkward pause, then Kaoru smiled warmly at him and said "Then I guess I could go for that second serving after all!"

-o-

They talked the whole night away, telling each other their life stories (which Kenshin knew already beforehand) and other things. Kenshin discovered that she had a sweet tooth like him and her favorite ice cream flavor was cappuccino fudge brownie, that she liked sunrises more than sunsets, was the all round athlete in her hometown and never went to her prom or things like that because of the traumatic death of her father, and how she met Tae and Tsubame. With each story he was becoming more and more captivated by her, because he saw that she was really pretty not just on the outside, but just as pretty and gracious, not to mention tough, inside as well.

Kaoru, on the other hand, learned that he was raised by his godfather since he was seven, and his lighter stories about his life in the army and the secret service, as well as how he had met Sano who eventually became his partner in the business, and that he liked to cook and do laundry. She laughed at this, because she could not cook anything well even if her life depended on it and it wasn't for lack of trying. Her stories about her exploits in the kitchen kept them laughing until Verdu chucked them out at closing time, and the sun was rising already. 

"So, would you like to buy some fresh bagels before we head on home?" asked Kenshin, still a little breathless from laughing so hard. He hadn't laughed like that since forever! 

"Sure, because if I try to bake it, we'd probably dig a hole in our stomachs trying to eat it!" Kaoru replied, bringing forth another round of laughter from both of them.

They walked to the bakery still talking animatedly, it seemed that they could not run out of things to talk about. _Omigod, he's just so easy to talk to! Kaoru thought, her heart fluttering. And we really have a great connection going--- I swear if we do end up together, we'll be heating up the whole city! _Kaoru blushed at her thought, not caring since her hand was tucked in the crook of Kenshin's arm and her head was leaning on the side of his shoulder, away from his view.

He was walking on air. _Phase I without a hitch! My plan is going along smoothly… I got to know more about her… Funny though, it wasn't hard at all to tell her things about me, its usually hard for me to open up to other people. But she's… magic…_ Kenshin grinned at his thoughts, happy that fate for once was not going against him. _I swear I will do my best not to screw this one up._ He looked at the woman whose head was leaning on his shoulder, as if they had always walked that way. Together. It felt inescapable, at least to Kenshin's mind. _I don't know why I even questioned it! _

_Because you were always more stubborn than I am. You know we always think clearer when I'm in charge._

Kenshin just rolled his eyes at Battousai.

-o-

After bagels and coffee at the meatpacker's district, Kenshin and Kaoru walked home, watching their surroundings sleepily start their Sunday mornings. They shared the walk in companionable silence, both cherishing the previous night but not knowing quite how to end it. Finally, they had reached her door.

"Kaoru-dono?"

"Yes, Kenshin?"

"I had a great time running into you, that I did." He looked into her eyes as he said this.

Kaoru blushed. "Me too." She was tongue-tied, not knowing what to say.

"Would you like to run into each other sometime soon? Like later or tomorrow?" He smiled his trademark smile, but there were amber glints lurking beneath the purple gaze.

"Ken-san, your eyes…" Kaoru stared at this phenomenon, since it was the first time she saw the color changing.

"We'll leave that for next time, ne?" He smiled even wider.

"Oh… Okay then, tomorrow. I'll go over there? Or how?" She said a little breathlessly, thrilled that he asked her out again.

"Come over and I'll cook dinner. Would you mind if Yahiko and Sano are around?" The rurouni in him was hard to ignore.

"Of course, I don't mind. I'll even bring dessert… Ice Cream?" She laughed, knowing how both of them liked the stuff.

Kenshin laughed with her. "Tomorrow night then, just across here, around sevenish." He said firmly, so nothing would be mistakenly understood.

"Alright. Good morning, then."

"Good morning to you too, Miss Kaoru. Be safe. Lock the door tightly behind you."

-o-

Kenshin smiled as he walked back to his place, amazed that his feet were still on the ground. He could still smell her on his clothes… Maybe he won't wash the coat for a while… As he walked through the door,

"Good morning! And just where have you been, Himura-san?" Sano's voice boomed out to him from the couch. A sleeping Megumi was curled up beside him, wearing presumably only the blanket wrapped around them, due to all the clothes scattered on the floor.

"Ahhh… I just came from breakfast." Kenshin said, rurouni smile back on his face, a little smug looking. He held up the extra bag of bagels he bought for his roommates.

"Sure and monkeys just jump out of my butt in glee. I'll have you know, mister, that we came here directly after Aoshi's… and if you notice, we would have seen you walking in through that door if you came in last night. And just in case you might be interested, I also know that Little Missy next door wasn't there, we knocked last night to see if she was around so we can give her the welcome wagon. So anyway, what happened to you?" Sano raised an eyebrow and started chuckling. "Come one, we're all adults in this house, we wanna KNOW…"

"Urmph… Shut up, rooster head, it's Sunday morning…" Megumi mumbled sleepily against Sano's chest.

"Oi, Kitsune, Ken-san's here… he just arrived… argh! Why'd you bite my nipple for?!"

"I think your room might be more appropriate… Yahiko might walk in, you know…" Kenshin had already turned his back on them, fixing some coffee and putting the bagels in the oven. Megumi just murmured and went back to sleep.

"Actually, I already did. Doesn't matter now, I think everybody within 5 miles heard the racket they were making last night." Yahiko yawned as he walked toward the table in the kitchen, barefoot and rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Shut up, kid. You'll understand when you grow older, if you don't, yet."

"You mean, how to have sex? Baka-rooster head, I knew everything since I was nine. Get a grip, I'm sixteen. What makes you think I'm still a virgin?"

"Hey, who you calling stupid, stupid?!"

"Sano, quit moving! I'm still tired!" Megumi snapped.

"Maa, maa, here now, how about coffee and bagels for everyone? Or does anyone like French toast instead? I can make some if anyone likes that instead of this…" Kenshin, always the peacemaker, stopped what looked to be the beginning of a three sided fight between Yahinko, Sano and Megumi.

"Ooooh… that smells great." Megumi stood up, the blanket wrapped around her like a toga, and walked towards the table. Sano was left behind naked. 

"Oi, now what am I supposed to cover myself with?"

Kenshin and Yahiko laughed, and fox ears popped up on Megumi "Well, get inventive! Babe, you're great looking but seriously, get a brain cell! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" Sano threw her a dirty look and walked unabashedly to his room to look for clothes. Kenshin and Yahiko were too used to seeing Megumi around their house to mind her state of undress, and Sano was always an exhibitionist.

"Kenshin? Why are you wearing the clothes you had on last night? Didn't you come home?" asked Yahiko, just noticing for the first time.

"Well, because I just came home a few minutes before you woke up."

Megumi's and Yahiko's eyes sharpened in curiosity but didn't ask anything. Sano reappeared wearing boxers and joined them at this point. Fox ears appeared on Megumi.

"So, what were you up to last night?" asked Sano, grabbing the nearest cup to him and filling it with coffee. 

"I ran into Miss Kaoru last night at Verdu's. We talked until the sun came up. Then we bought bagels. Then I walked her home." Kenshin answered, very matter-of-factly but staring at his cup while he did, his ears slowly turning red.

"Really? You were with the neighbor? So that's why no one answered the door last night! Are you sure that's all you did? Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!"

"You guys do nothing but talk, don't ya? Get it on, will you?" Sano commented.

"Please, its just been 2 days! Besides, I think it was very productive, that I do."

"You mean you guys didn't even make out?" Yahiko asked, just laughing at everything.

"That's really crude, both of you. Just because Ken-san's got more sensitivity in his little toe than both of you combined doesn't make him less of a man." Megumi frowned her best physician frown at the two.

Both men in question ignored her and just laughed.

"Anyway, did you guys connect?" Megumi decided to ignore the laughing pair.

"Yes, we did." Memories of the previous night came to him and he smiled at nothing and particular.

Megumi smiled. _Well done, Ken-kun. You deserve to be happy. _

-o-

"Well, that about does it for me… everyone please excuse me, I have to catch up on my sleep." After the grilling about the night before that Kenshin went through with Sano, he felt exhausted. 

"HA! But you haven't even told us when your next date is!"

"Gomen, gomen, it's Monday night dinner, here. Feel free to join in if you feel like it. Tsubame is also welcome, Yahiko-kun." Yawned Kenshin in reply.

"Oh really?---" A riot of questions followed the announcement.

Kenshin really couldn't take it anymore. Although he knew it was rude, he just stood up and went to his room, closed the shoji on all of them and slept a blessedly peaceful sleep amid the noise.

_________________________________________________  
  
  
A/N: Verdu is real. It's this little family owned ice cream shop in Spain that has the best home made ice cream ever, even better than hagen dasz, and since I'm addicted to ice cream... of course, Kenshin and Kaoru have to be too!!!! Comments and suggestions welcome...  
  
Don't forget to R&R!  



	9. Monday Night Funnies

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…  
  
Across the Hallway  
  
A/N: I had fun doing this chapter... just a little rated for thoughts. but otherwise, enjoy! Rather heavy on the OOc, but sometimes, really, don't you just wish Kenshin would really take the initiative for Kaoru? Or does Nobuhiro-san just loves to play sadist to our feeling?! argh!!!! *receives a whack from Watsuki-sama's fan* "You have no right, baka-deshi!!!" *WHACK* Owwwww.....  
  
PS. Please R&R! Enjoy! :)   
  
  
  
  
  
____________________________________________________________

**Chapter 9**

**Monday Night Funnies**

It was 5:30, and Kaoru was in a rush to get home. _Mou! That damned principal held such a long orientation about the upcoming prom I swear if he extended five more minutes I would've hit him or something! I'm sooo late and I still have to buy dessert and take a bath and perform just about 5 million other things to do that I don't know where to start!_

Pushing and shoving her way out of the subway, she raced down 12th street and went straight to Verdu's. As she ran down sidewalk, she hit a man with long red hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Oro?!" Kenshin saw stars, and a few twittering birds. 

"Omigod, not again?!" Kaoru caught him for a second before they both tumbled to the ground. She couldn't help noticing that he shifted his body so he would get the brunt of the fall.

"Kaoru-dono! How nice to run into you again!" Kenshin said, his eyes alight with merriment. _I can't believe I've never met her until now… she's so beautiful, even with her hair caught up in a pencil and messy clothes. And that blush is driving me crazy--- it makes me want to see just how much of her can blush…_

"I… ah… that is… I was going to buy ice cream. For tonight, right? I did say I was bringing dessert." Kaoru couldn't move from her spot, forgetting that were lying on top of each other in the middle of the sidewalk. 

"Oi! Kenshin! Get me--- Holy Kisama!!!! Who the heck is the babe on top of you?!" Sano called out from the third floor window, his head looking down at them below.

"It's not what you think, Sano. Miss Kaoru just ran into me by accident." Kenshin, suddenly aware of the situation, moved Kaoru gently to the side and brought her to stand up with him.

"Really? That's Jo-chan down there?! Ey, Kaoru, I guess looking at you from the top gives me a whole new perspective to you, doesn't it?!" Sano whooped in laughter, seeing how flustered she was.

"MOU!!! You are so crude, Segara! Now I know where Yahiko gets it from!" yelled Kaoru back, waving her fist at Sanosuke. At that point, another head appeared.

"Is that her? Wow, she's pretty! Hiya! I'm Misao Makimachi, I work with these two idiots!" Misao poked her hand through the small window space left and waved at Kaoru. Kaoru waved back.

"Ey weasel-girl, get out of here, there's no more space for a weasel like you and you're sooooo annoying everyone right now…"

"Baka Rooster Head!!!!" 

A scuffle between Sano and Misao ensued. Kenshin just shook his head and said, "Kaoru-dono, as I was just going home now, would you like this Sessha to accompany you on your errand before going home?" Kenshin looked at her and smiled gently. 

"Sure! And no more 'dono' or 'sessha' business, you can't call someone honorable when they've smashed you twice on your back in less than a week!" Kaoru agreed, grinning.

-o-

Kenshin was cooking lemon butter chicken after preparing his special sushi platter, after learning from Kaoru that she did eat meat, but that she didn't like red meat. As he was mentally going through the menu in his head, he started to drift, imagining about what she was doing at her place.

_White skin covered with bubbles. She was lathering herself all over her body, so innocent yet sensual… Blue eyes dark with passion and hair enhancing her beautiful pert breasts that he was rubbing slowly with a washcloth…_

_I KNEW IT!!! I knew there was a man with dirty thoughts lurking inside somewhere. Congratulations, pal, and welcome to the rest of the male population!_

_Shit, Battousai, can't you even let us finish the daydream?! It was getting interesting._

_That's what you get for being slow. And personally, my version would be more of her touching herself while we were licking everything she touched._

Kenshin's eyes widened with passion at the image his subconscious evoked. Unfortunately, the doorbell chimed. His passion turned to embarrassment, knowing that he was already as hard as a rock, got the tub of ice cooling the wine and shoved the contents down his pants as Yahiko answered the doorbell.

"Hi Hag!" Yahiko said as he opened the door.

"Hi Yahiko-CHAN." Kaoru put a stress on the -chan, knowing it would irritate the heck out of the teen.

"News flash, I'm not a kid, busu!!!" Yahiko yelled at her.

"Maa, maa, pay respect to your sensei…" Kenshin said before Kaoru could smack Yahiko on the head.

Kaoru stopped mid-swing and stared at him. Yahiko did the same thing. The reason was that in his hurry he had forgotten to take out the ice in his pants and there was a rather big bulge under the apron he was wearing that made it look as if he was about to give birth. Not to mention that a big water spot was growing on said bulge in front of their eyes. The tension was broken when Sano came through the door with Megumi and said "Holy Crap!! Did you swallow a cow, Kenshin?!"

The whole group cracked up, Kenshin included, although rather stiffly and he apologetically muttered "Ahhh… thank you for coming, Kaoru-dono… Now I will just fix myself and join you in a while, that I will." And with his best rurouni smile, made for his bathroom as fast as he could go.

Inside the privacy of his bathroom, Kenshin clutched his head in hands and wanted to die of mortification. _Idiot rurouni!!! You were fantasizing so much about her you forgot to take out the ice you put in your pants! What are you, an 18 year old who can't control his hormones?!_

_Well cheer up bud, maybe she noticed that you needed that much ice to cool the little guy down there._

_Oro?!_

Kenshin grimaced at his reflection (he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately) and removed the ice and the pants under the apron and replaced it with a new dry pair, then he returned to the dining room where the rest of the night was waiting.

-o-

The dinner was a success. The food was delicious (thanks to him), but to Kenshin's mind, the yummiest part of it was Kaoru. The rest went by unnoticed. He didn't even realize that he was eating his favorite ice cream flavor. The whole time they were eating, he was transfixed by her eyes, her hair, her glow, the fragrance, everything. So much so that when Sano, Megumi, and Yahiko made their excuses after seeing that the two were in this snow ball world that couldn't be entered, he was surprised that the evening was already so late, to say the least. 

Kaoru wasn't about to complain either. The time had flown by, but to have Kenshin's undivided attention for a while even with other people around was a thrilling experience for her. And she noticed that although he was pretty quiet, his eyes were on her and she could feel it as if he was touching everywhere all at once. She excused herself to go to the powder room to freshen up as the 3 were about to leave, and looked at her reflection. Her cheeks were flushed, and she had a bright grin plastered on her face, making her eyes sparkle. She looked like a woman in love. She wasn't naturally vain, but tonight she knew she looked great. Better than great, as Kenshin had said the other night. _A natural high? More like turning you on! You go girl! _Kaoru blushed, but didn't care. _I think this one could get to my heart… _

As the door closed behind Sano, Yahiko and Megumi, they all cracked identical grins. 

"So, what do we do now?" Sano broke the ice in the elevator, knowing all their excuses to leave were a sham. They all broke into laughter. 

"Anyone want to bet that they'd get it on tonight?" Yahiko thought aloud. They all laughed again.

Let the games begin. 

-o-

After the trio left, Kenshin got nervous all over again and all the plans he formulated went out of his head. As Kaoru reappeared from the powder room, he glanced up from cleaning the table, and smiled, knowing that it didn't reflect the way she made his heart race. Suddenly, they were shy around each other again.

_All alone… what would be nice to do?_

_Kenshin-no baka. Don't tell me all the ice in your pants a while ago cooled every hot thought you had in your 'head'. Be a man!_

_ORO?!_

"Kenshin? Would you… would you like for me to go as well?" Kaoru asked, hoping his answer would be no. She nearly smacked herself in annoyance. _He might think I'm so forward! Or does he want me to? I really can't tell with that smile of his._

"Oro?" answered Kenshin stupidly, still in argument with his thoughts.

"I asked if you would like for me to go. It is getting pretty late." She made excuses, disappointed in his reaction.

"Oh! Of course not… unless you feel like it. I was actually going to ask if you wanted coffee or tea, but only if you feel like staying, of course." He really couldn't get rid of his cursed politeness. Why does it have to be so hard to tell her straight out what he felt? He really wanted to say, No, I don't want you to go. _Stay, because I want to show you how good you make me feel…_

Kaoru smiled again, and he felt that he owned the world. Cheesy as it sounded, she already made him feel as if he could do anything.

"Okay, if you say so… besides, I only teach at the high school three times a week, MWF. It's not as if I had something to do early tomorrow. So, how about that tea?" Suddenly, the shyness was gone and all was as it should be.

They ended up taking their tea to the roof deck, as Kaoru had never seen it yet. The building owner had designed it into a garden of various potted plants, creating a small restive pocket in a place that would otherwise be a tangle of concrete and pollution. The ambiance invited personal conversation, and Kaoru was the first to open the topic to something she had been curious about.

"Kenshin, may I ask a personal question?"

"Sure! Ask anything." Kenshin, mellowed by the dinner and having Kaoru by him, answered right away.

"How did you come about that... scar?"

Kenshin sobered. He was so used to the cross on his cheek that it never occurred to him that Kaoru would be curious. He fell silent, thinking about how it happened. He was worried she might look at him differently.

"Umm… If you'd rather not say, it's okay. I'm sorry I asked. I shouldn't have intruded." She felt uncertain now. There was still much about him she didn't know. Maybe she wouldn't like the answer. 

"No, its fine, that it is. It's just that… nobody ever asked. And only the ones that were involved know about it. Not even Sano knows exactly what happened."

Kaoru waited patiently. Things like this are never rushed.

Kenshin took another sip from his tea. Then, suddenly, a flash of insight struck him. He wanted her to know everything, he didn't want to hide, and knew just as certainly that if they ended up together, she had to know all of him. Not just the nice parts. All. It was a risk, but one worth taking. _You don't realize it yet but you've already captured my heart…  
_

  
  
  
_______________________________________________________  
  
  
  
A/N: I hope that satisfied the need for the getting on part... Sorry for the cliffie... I'm just cramming too many details, aren't i? :)  
  
Don't worry, I'll get to the lemon chappie as fast as I can! ;)  
  
PS. Don't forget to review! :D  



	10. Revealing Secrets

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…  
  
  
Across the Hallway  
  
  
A/N: Major WAFF. Major Drama. A little comedy. Not my usual style, but we got to get serious somewhere... no lemon yet, sorry... I believe there should be more gentlemen who WAIT in this world... ;D  
  
Don't forget to R&R! :)  
  
PS. I don't have any material yet for the next chapters, any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Rated for adult thoughts and topics. A little swearing.  
  
  
______________________________________________

**Chapter 10**

**Revealing Secrets**

Kenshin held Kaoru's stare for a long time. Then he began his story. "I have already told you that I was a Secret Service Agent, right?"

Kaoru nodded. She could sense something important, a feeling like Kenshin was about to jump off a 500 foot cliff. Now was not the time to break the mood.

"And I had already told you the incident where I had met Sano. What I didn't tell you is that he introduced me to Tomoe, my ex-wife."

Kaoru's blue eyes widened in shock. _HE HAD A WIFE?!!!_

Kenshin went on, knowing if he stopped he could never get the whole story out. "They were friends from college, and supposedly, she was an interior designer. What she really was didn't come out until after 2 years after we were married. Thank God, we didn't have any children, I don't know what I would have done if we did. What I found out was something terrible."

Kaoru suddenly noticed that Kenshin had unconsciously taken one of her hands in between his and was gently stroking it. She was comforted by the gesture, so even though she didn't want to listen anymore, she did. It was important. 

"At the time we were married, I was in charge of the Personal Security Force of one of the US Senators. What his name was isn't relevant, ne?" Kenshin arched his eyebrow in a question. Client confidentiality was still his ingrained in his system.

Kaoru couldn't do anything but nod and inch closer to him on the bench, their teas forgotten.

"I referred her to do redecorate his house in the Hamptons, because I was proud of her designs and I knew it could be a huge stepping stone for her to have a prestigious client. I pushed for her… what happened after… it was a disaster… she wasn't a designer at all… she was CIA… she was profiling my boss because he was a traitor…selling defense secrets to Cuba and China… and I was the dumbass that got picked as the entry point." Kenshin said bitterly. It was Kaoru now who was stroking his hand. Her eyes were already glistening with tears.

"You know, you don't have to continue if it's too hard for you… I don't really care anymore…The past is not important…I can feel your pain." Kaoru wanted to just hug him and tell him over and over that it was alright, his ex wife a bloodless bitch who deserved to be given the lethal injection.

"I have to… some nights it gets so bad I want to howl with it all…" Kenshin needed to get it out of his system.

"Okay. If that's what you want. I'll just listen." Kaoru nodded in sympathy. _This man needs to be loved…_

"What she did not count on was falling for me. Three days before the shit hit the fan, pardon my French, she broke down and told me everything. How she manipulated Sano into setting us up, how she really set me up to fall for her, what my boss was, who SHE was, what was going to happen three days from then… I couldn't believe her. I wrecked half our home in my anger. I wouldn't, couldn't accept it. I called her a liar, crazy, God know what else.. She packed up and left after seeing that I was beyond reasoning. She was always the lady. Even her packing up was dignified. You remember when you saw my eyes change? Intense emotion turns it into amber. It was pure gold that day…"

Long red bangs hid his eyes from hers now. He was afraid of what Kaoru would see in them. He knew he should stop, but something in him just kept on rolling, like a wave that grows in intensity before it breaks on the shore. He stared at their intertwined hands instead. _How did our hands end up…_

"On the day itself, there was a raid. In loyalty to the one who was paying my bills, and because I had already thought of him as a friend, I had warned him a few hours before all hell broke lose. He grew crazy then. He fired me on the spot, but had no time to change the access codes of the system I had put up before CIA agents stormed all over his house. He was able to hold Tomoe hostage with a gun that I gave him for extra protection and used her as a bargaining tool. However, she was able to get away before he could do anything more than get close to the front door. I ran to her, everybody ran like headless chickens all over the place. There was chaos… My boss killed himself in front of our eyes by setting off a bomb that was strapped to him. My scar was the casualty of pieces of glass flying from a window that hit my face when I protected her from the blast. It healed in that form. I never wanted it to be covered; it reminds me of how stupid I had once been thinking that I had a handle on everything and that the world was my oyster." He sighed. "We parted ways after that and she ended up marrying one of the other agents. I quit the Secret Service and started up with Sano our little office. As for Tomoe, I even went to her wedding. We remain until now, distant friends. I think she moved back to Virginia to be near the Pentagon." He paused. "So now… would you still think of me the same way? I'm tarnished goods, Kaoru-dono. I am nothing but a Sessha. I will understand if you don't want to be in my company anymore." He raised uncertain eyes to her face, hoping for… he didn't know what he was hoping for. What he saw left him surprised, to say the least.

_This man had been through so much… how can one not help but fall… _Kaoru was looking at Kenshin with tears streaking her face, more of them ready to fall. "Ken…shin…no…baka… Wha-at do yo-u think ah-I am?! Sha—ah—low?!" She said in between sobs. "That has got to be the saddest thing I've ever heard! How could you think that I would look at you less for what you did?!" She whacked him on the head and started crying in earnest. 

"Oro?!" _How could she not look at me differently? Did I do something really good to deserve a miracle like her? How can one not help but fall… You not only got my heart, I'm beginning to think that you're an angel sent just for me even if I don't deserve one…_

Battousai was decidedly silent on this one, he couldn't help but notice.

Kenshin smiled lopsidedly and gathered Kaoru in his arms, trying to comfort her. "Maa, maa, I didn't mean to make you cry for me… As you said, the past is not important… and besides, what would Yahiko think, seeing that I made his favorite sensei cry?" Kaoru laughed in the middle of crying on his shirt and ended up in a hiccupping fit instead.

"Some date this is, I made a beautiful girl cry…" Kenshin said, smiling gently, when Kaoru finally had composed herself from hicupping. Her face was cupped in Kenshin's hands… his thumbs slowly wiping away the few tears left behind. Her sadness immediately transformed into awareness of _HIM. _She suddenly found herself wondering what it would feel like to kiss him…

Kenshin's thumbs stopped moving, but his hands did not leave her face. Kaoru saw the color of his eyes turn into some deep shade, not knowing that hers had transformed into a deeper hue as well. Golden lines suddenly radiated from the purple… Their faces were drawing nearer to each other as if pulled by some magnet… He could see every detail of her still-soaked lashes… Their lips met…

Fireworks.

Both pulled away after the longest time, as if partners in a dance. Both were breathing raggedly, with identical looks of wonder.

_Oh wow, I don't think I've ever experienced something like that before!!! I must find a way to have some more…_ Kaoru's mind was still running a mile a minute. She didn't even realize that THAT kind of chemistry even existed!

_Battousai just kept on laughing. Do we have great taste in women or what?! I mean, Tomoe was wonderful, don't get me wrong, but when had she ever made you feel like somebody just set you on fire?!_

For once Kenshin had no snappy comeback to his alter-ego.

"Wow" Kaoru mouthed the word almost silently. 

Kenshin just blinked, still not trusting himself to speak. His eyes were still infused with amber.

"Um… was it just me, or did you feel the same thing I did?" she asked, her voice trembling. Kaoru felt a little vulnerable now, thinking that she probably just dreamed up the whole sensation. 

"Wha… It wasn't just you, Kaoru-dono, that it wasn't." He finally found his voice. He still couldn't let go of her. 

"Oh! I'm glad…" Kaoru grinned. Then, she had an insane urge to giggle. They were adults, for heaven's sake! Why in the world were they talking as if they had only shared their first kiss… She couldn't take it anymore, and burst out in uncontrollable giggles. 

Kenshin sweat dropped and his ego took a couple of steps down. _What in hell is she giggling about… it wasn't funny… not at all…_ but the giggles were infectious. Pretty soon, they were both laughing until they got stitches in their sides. 

It took some time for them to calm down. When they finally reached a comfortable silence, Kenshin broke it. "Kaoru?"

_Omigod. No dono attached to it. Hurray!_ "Yes, Kenshin?"

"Where do we go from here?"

Kaoru repositioned herself in his arms so she could get a good view of his face. "Everything just happened so fast, didn't it?" She didn't realize that her position was giving him a good view of cleavage and put herself right on his lap.

"Yes." He said through gritted teeth. _I am a gentleman… I am a gentleman… I will not be a sex starved jerk… I will NOT let my hormones push through tonight…_

_Aww, what are you, a man or a mouse?_

_Fuck you._

_From my view, you need it more than I do._

"Did I say something wrong?" Kaoru asked, puzzled at his reaction.

"Ahh… no, Kaoru, its just that… its just that… if we keep at this longer… I…I-don't-think-that-I-can-hold-on-much-longer-and-I-will-forget-to-take-it-slow-and-will-take-you-to-bed…" He talked all his thoughts in one breath hoping he wouldn't get slapped.

Kaoru's eyes widened and she squirmed uncomfortably on his lap. 

"Ple---ase… STOP MOVING." Beads of sweat were traveling down his face.

"I, uh, OH!" She finally understood what he was driving at. She stood up quickly, overturning her tea cup in the process.

Kenshin felt strangely bereft. She felt just right to him, as always, and didn't realize that he had grown comfortable with her weight the past moments, so much so that he didn't feel that his leg was numb until now. He fell of the bench.

"Omigod, are you alright?!" Kaoru was on him again in an instant. Her hair fell around his head, mingling with his red ones, giving them a small world for their faces.

Kenshin couldn't help it, tonight was really a night of errors. He chuckled. "Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine. But really, I should escort you home now… We take it slower, ne? We have all the time to get together… I really don't think you're the kind of girl, correction, lady, who likes to be rushed, that I don't."

Kaoru blushed at his words. Yes, it was true she was the old fashioned type. She had so many dates that ended badly because of it. How Kenshin knew it after the way she acted around him, it was a wonder.

"Okay. But you can come over any time, ok?" She smiled shyly at him. Every word he seemed to say made her fall inches more for him.

"Okay. Same goes for you. Just ignore Yahiko's protests and Sano's jokes and we'll be fine, that we will."

They smiled goofily at each other for some more seconds before they stood up. After gathering the cups and other items, they went back to their floor, and Kenshin, as promised, escorted her to her door.

"Kenshin?"

"Yes, Kaoru?"

"Thank you for tonight."

"No. Thank YOU." Kenshin set down the tray and kissed her passionately with all his heart.

"Good night, Angel." Kenshin whispered in her ear before he let her go.

She had a dazed expression on her face before she murmured goodnight and closed the door.

_Who's the man?_

_We're the man!_

Those were the cheery thoughts of the two in Kenshin's head as he headed back to his own apartment.

  



	11. Frustrations Over Coffee

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…  
  
  
Across the Hallway  
  
  
A/N: No lemon yet, but coming! Beginning of the End, second to the last chapter, if you can believe it. Thanks again to azuma_ninja, my faithful reader. The lemon comes on swiftly running feet, never fear. Sorry for the delay again, had to come to grips with major writer's block while I was in China. There simply is no space for additonal writer's inspiration when faced with the fantastic buildings of Shanghai. My architect's soul came first *wink*, sorry, but at least these last two chapters, well, they just sort of poured out of me right after i came home. Took me three nights, but I did it!!!! Anway,  
  
Don't forget to R&R! :)  
  
PS. Rated for topics and a little swearing. Some Angst and Confusion, but not much.  
  
  
______________________________________________

**Chapter 11**

**Frustration Over Coffee**

Kenshin put down his glass at Chef D' Angelo's, watching Kaoru tenderly while she told him all about her day. The past three weeks went by in a happy blur for him, except for the main fact, that, alas, he still wasn't laid. He simply couldn't put aside the gentleman in him and let his baser Battousai self take over, telling himself that Kaoru would give him a clear go ahead signal when she wanted to do more than what they had been doing nearly every night since that long ago kiss on the roof deck, which amounted to hardly second base.

The problem was, it seemed that Kaoru wasn't used to putting out.

What was more, it was his fault for saying they could take it slow.

It was damned frustrating.

So frustrating, in fact, that he was starting to get in an edgy mood and it took about 2 cold baths to feel normal instead of rock hard before and after every time he went to see her. The people around him didn't escape his tetchy mood either. He even snapped at Sano the other day for chewing on a pencil. A pencil! 

_Hell, we really do need to get laid. _

_I can do this. I can wait forever until she's ready._

_What if she doesn't know that SHE IS?!_

_Die trying, I suppose. She's so pure and perfect, how the fuck can I let her know that every time she touches me, even by accident, I turn into a huge container of aching, raging hormones?_

_Dude, that kiss in the dojo last night wasn't innocent. And you managed to actually feel her up a bit that time. What do you think that means? Don't you think you're being unfair to her by letting her hang as well?_

_Oh, no you don't. Don't you dare give me that psychobabble. I'm not in the mood for it._

"Ken-kun?" Kaoru asked. _He was doing it again! All that purple and gold swirling thing in his eyes! I really don't know what he thinks half the time and the other half he seems to get this faraway look. MOU!!!!!!!!!!_

"Excuse me, AM I BORING YOU?!" A vein perilously near her temple started throbbing in anger.

"Huh? Uhh—uhm… No, of course not, why would you think that? I just have a lot of things on my mind, that I was…" Kenshin tried for the innocent look and prayed that she would fall for it.

_And Buddha just happens to be my personal friend, Battousai sarcastically replied._

"Hmmph." Kaoru wasn't yet appeased. She was frustrated because even though she knew in her heart that the past three weeks were the happiest she had ever been with someone, there was something missing. Something Kenshin was holding back. And she didn't know how to get it out of him, because she never took any initiative of any sort. In her relationship before, Enishi always initiated it, then when things got rocky told her that she was frigid as a fish that's why he had that stupid pink haired booby named Bambi or Fifi or whatever hell her name was on the side. Physical intimacy was a sore issue with her, and even though she desired Kenshin so much she thought she would burn up all the time with it, her moves were timid and inexperienced. 

_He has to do something and fast! God knows I love him, I fell for him big time, but shit, it's not fair that he makes me drown in his wonderful violet eyes and not do something about it!!! And how do I know if he truly loves me?! Has he told me?! I'll be old and creaky by the time he gets around to it if he moves at this pace! Shit, shit, SHIT!!!!!_

Kenshin watched worriedly as her face grew alarmingly scrunched up as she got even angrier. 

_What the hell did I do? _

Battousai started laughing hard again. _I told you so. You're not the only one frustrated over there. So go and bang the night away, champ!_

_WHAT??!!_

"MOUUUUU!!!!!" Kaoru cried simultaneously with Kenshin's thoughts. "I've had it!" She threw down her table napkin on the plate and stalked out of the restaurant angrily.

Kenshin was frozen in shock. What had brought that on? He absolutely didn't have a clue, and now he was left sitting alone while the woman held his heart in her hands went off into the autumn night alone and to God knows where. 

Slowly gathering his wits, he signaled for the check as he looked around him uneasily, and saw that the people in the other tables were quickly averting their heads from him. _Great,_ _now I'm an idiot public spectacle too. Like its not enough that Buddha loves to give me his funniest karmic jokes of all time. _Years of being in the detective business really didn't prepare him for this, he thought wearily. Loving Kaoru was great, but it kept him on his toes so much he no longer knew what to do or what move to take… all his half-assed plans about wooing her melted away the minute he told her all about his sordid past and saw her crying for him. What people close to him didn't know was, for the past three weeks, he had been winging it.__

It just wasn't like him. He decided to go visit his most level headed friend when it came to matters of the heart. For this kind of serious issue, he needed a cool, professional opinion. A _woman's _opinion. He knew he had to ask for Megumi's help.

-o-

The General State Hospital at the corner of 6th Avenue was a busy, crowded and noisy place, with gurneys moving back and forth, doctors hurrying with patients from all walks of life, staff running all over the place and the general bustle of a busy hospital. It smelled of stale coffee and antiseptic, and Kenshin always marveled at the dedication of his friend that she could stand working in such a place, considering her background. Doctors of Megumi's status could command exorbitant fees and private offices from other hospitals, but she chose to work on a tiny government's salary, shared office space and cubicles like everyone else and often did most of her consultation and house visits in the most dangerous parts of New York for free. 

"Ha! Ken-kun, thanks for waiting, I just had a 20 hour shift done, and an emergency came in with a cut up guy from a gang fight, so I really couldn't pull myself away until now… Well, you know how it goes…" Megumi sank onto the chair beside Kenshin wearily, still wearing her white doctor's coat and peeling a gauzy mouth covering from her face.

"Megumi-san, you never fail to amaze me, you know that? I was just thinking how a lady who wears Lacoste running shoes to match the designer suit she's wearing underneath that coat and lives in the East Village could give service to those who can't even afford new clothes." Kenshin said in greeting. "You have a heart of gold, that you do, my friend." He added for good measure, just in case she might think he was criticizing her.

Megumi looked at him oddly and said "That's weird, I never thought you felt that way cause you inspired me, you know… if you hadn't pulled me off the path of smoking drugs to death and running my trust fund to the ground when you worked for my father, and taught me that helping other people before myself would give a much higher high, I wouldn't be here. I'd probably have a dozen abortions and an injection spotted arm if I wasn't already dead in a few years if I went that way." Megumi looked pained for a moment in her reminiscing.

Kenshin looked fondly at his friend. She was his first Secret Service assignment when he first joined the agency at 20. Then, Megumi was a troubled 17 year old daughter of a Japanese-American diplomat who was extremely bright, top of her class and accelerated several levels so that at her age, she was in the 3rd year of premed. She was also a cocaine junkie who was about to drop out from her course due to her absences and deeper addiction. At the time, Kenshin had saved her from almost OD'ng, but in return, gave her a blunt blow-by-blow description of what would happen if she didn't stop her habit, and commandeered her into a self-detoxification, which saved her life--- in the year that he was her guardian, she slowly turned back to her studies, lived cleanly and became very good friends with him. It never occurred to him that she considered him to be her inspiration; after all, back then, he was just the bodyguard. Later, after he had quit the SS, he had introduced her to Sano when she was in final year of residency and the two hit it off quite well, and the rest just fell into place. His lips curved into a smile at the memories.

Megumi was studying Kenshin quizzically, trying to guess what the smile meant. "You didn't come here to reminisce on the past and comment on my fashion sense, did you? Because if you did, you must be getting older than I thought… reminiscing about the good old days is the first sign of middle age, you know… oh-ho-ho-ho!" Megumi teased, and nudged him good naturedly.

"I could never hide much from you, could I? Anyway, I need help. Advice, if you will. I didn't ask Sano-san because he might get all of you up at Aoshi's again, and for this kind of thing, I wanted an opinion from a girl's point of view, and the closest and best I knew to ask was… you…" Kenshin finished lamely, knowing he was babbling, and running out of courage to ask the advice that he needed.

Megumi's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, that's a first! You asking my opinion? I always run to you when I get screwed up! Say, let's not talk here… I got 24 hours off, and there's a Starbucks down the road, so why don't you hold it while I change to my regular clothes and I meet you there in ten? I know they close at 3am or something like that, so they should still be open." 

"Arigatou, Megumi-dono. I really appreciate it."

"Argh! Kenshin, you know I hate that stupid honorific! Drop it for someone more deserving, will you?!" Megumi's teasing voice floated back to him as she made her way down the hallway when she walked away.

-o-

Megumi was laughing so hard, she cried tears of mirth over her cappuccino after Kenshin's one and a half hour confession of how he really wanted to make love to Kaoru but felt that he was inadequate because she was perfect, how good she made him feel, how he really fell for her and how he had no idea why she was angry with him this time when all he did was treat her like a princess.

"I'm happy if my situation amuses you, Megumi-_dono_" Kenshin said stiffly.

Megumi wiped the tears from her eyes and didn't mind his tone. She knew Kenshin wasn't really pissed. Just annoyed, and knowing his eternally long patience, it didn't count. "I'm not trying to make light of it, but seriously, Ken-san, the answer is staring you right in the face! I'm surprised that you don't see it--- you never struck me as the dense type!" Megumi started, still giggling occasionally, her laughter slowly coming under control.

Kenshin stared incredulously at her for a minute, then asked. "What is it then? I feel like I'm in the Matrix or something and Morpheus is about to give me the red pill…"

Megumi rolled her eyes. She never got men and their particular analogies to movies. She liked the Matrix, but for the life of her, she never would have compared an aspect of her life to it!

"Look, you love Kaoru, right?"

"Yes. I don't deserve her, but Buddha knows, I can't deny what I feel."

"And she's crazy about you too, right?"

"Ummm… I know she cares for me…"

"Baka Kenshin. Everyone knows she's just as in love with you as you are with her."

"You do?!" Kenshin felt his dark mood lighten slowly. Kaoru loves him!

"Then probably, she's wondering why the hell you won't touch her other more than--- what exactly is it? Just kissing? If I were her, I'd think that there was something inadequate in me if the man I love won't make love to me when I really, really want him to… I wouldn't think that he thought I was too perfect to be touched. Sweet thought, but really, action, especially when it's done well, is so much better. Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!!!"

"Orororo?!" Kenshin blushed. Megumi was just as basic as Sano sometimes.

"There you go again. You can't hide yourself behind that 'oro' forever, you know. I suggest… You go home, and since its Sunday tomorrow and both of you don't have work, go and place flowers at her doorstep with little sorry notes, you know the drill… Spend the rest of the day with her on a date, if she forgives you, and then at night… make love to her! Get laid! Get _her_ laid! And then call me in the morning! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!!!" Megumi couldn't stop laughing, and her fox ears were in appearance. 

Kenshin sweat dropped and he gulped.

"Awww, come on, is she that bad? Is that it? She didn't seem deformed to me… to add, it would also help if you told her your feelings for her. You have to be upfront with that, she doesn't strike me as the type of girl who would like to be lead around on a string. She has her pride, just like you do. Besides, it would be the right thing to say."

"It's not that, Megumi-san. I'm just afraid she won't forgive me. I really had been an idiot, baka-deshi redhead and all. You don't want to get on her bad side, that you don't. Have you seen how she swings a bokken?" 

"Ken-kun, the main thing is, she's a person, just like the rest of us. She's got feelings too… and you hurt them big time, and that's why she's mad. But I know she will forgive you, so don't worry about it. You just don't give up on the one you love, and after getting to know her these past weeks, it seems that she's got a hell of a lot more optimism than anyone I ever know. She'll see the brighter side of it tomorrow, you'll see."

Kenshin looked at her over the rim of his black coffee of the day. _How do women get to be so insightful about things like that and men can't?_

_Don't look at me, bud, I had the opinion you should've banged Blue Eyes up a long time ago._

_You're crude._

_I tell it like it is, up to you to like it or not._

"Okay Megumi. I'll do what you say. But tonight. I can't wait until tomorrow. No more waiting, hiding, whatever it was I was doing. Am I right, ne?" Kenshin asked, the old twinkle Megumi knew back in his eyes and rurouni smile in place.

Megumi's eyes widened in surprise. "You go, Kenshin! For a moment there, I thought you had changed! And before I forget…" She dug her hand in her medical bag and produced several packets that she dropped in Kenshin's hand.

"Oro?!" Kenshin couldn't believe she just gave him several condoms!

"Practice safely! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!!!"  


________________________________________________________  


Additonal A/N: Chef D' Angelo's is a real restaurant with the best pizza/pasta/anything fast food italian in Manila! :)  


In case there are any questions about Megumi's part, I had to give (in other words, FABRICATE) a brief background since i noticed everyone except her has little tidbits. Anyway, on to the NEXT!!!  


****


	12. Together at Last

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just a Sessha follower that dreams…  
  
  
Across the Hallway  
  
  
A/N: Lemon Alert! Lemon Alert! Not to mention WAFF... Omigod, is it the last chapter already? I know i only have a handful of readers out there, but I would really appreciate a written review. But even then, I really enjoyed this last part... Fanfiction is a stressful, but great hobby! so...  
  
Don't forget to R&R! :)  
  
PS. Rated--- DEFINITELY. Steamingly, perhaps. I hope my lemon gave justice to all K/K fans out there.  
  
PPS. An email would do just as well as a review, thanks! :)  
  
  
______________________________________________

**Chapter 12**

**Together at Last**

Kenshin held a simple bouquet of yellow and pink carnations behind his back, having stopped at a 24 hour flower shop before coming home. He was once again in front of the door across from his apartment, a familiar door holding that which was dear to him. He pushed on the doorbell once more. He was praying hard that she wasn't asleep yet or else all his hard work would go to waste. Then again, it was nearing midnight, and he knew she was an early sleeper. Suddenly, he was rewarded by the soft pad of footsteps coming towards the door, and the quick flash of blue at the peephole.

"Kenshin? It's late! What are you doing out here?" Kaoru said as she opened the door. She really wasn't asleep, but then, she was too upset by what happened in the restaurant earlier that she couldn't, no matter how she tried. _I acted like an utter fool! No wonder he doesn't want to sleep with me, I can be a mean bitch sometimes! I really don't know why he puts up with someone like…_

Kenshin broke into Kaoru's self deprecating thoughts and asked "May I come in?"

Kaoru nodded and let him in. She was too immersed in her thoughts about her behavior earlier when Kenshin took her hand with his free one. Startled into looking at him, she saw caring and something else lurking in his eyes, making them purple shimmering gold.

"To answer your question when you opened the door, do you honestly think I would let tonight pass without making it up to you? I'm sorry--- and these are for you." Kenshin held out the bouquet he was hiding. 

Kaoru gasped. "Carnations! How did you know I like them?" 

Kenshin just smiled tenderly at her.

"Oh Kenshin, thank you so much, they're really nice… but… but… I don't…"

Kenshin placed a finger on her lips and the apology she would have said was silenced. " Let's just say our first lover's spat is over, okay?" 

Kaoru mutely nodded, her eyes as wide as saucers. _Lover's spat? He considers me his lover? But we barely…_

"Of course, we really have to do something about the lover part…" He closed the distance between them and kissed her, really kissed her, holding nothing back. His tongue caressed and tasted her as he crushed his lips to her and his hands held her against the whole length of him.

Kaoru was stunned at first and then she melted. The carnations fell to the floor, neglected, as she raised her hands to tangle in his hair, deepening the kiss. This was what she had been waiting for, the chemistry that she felt the first time he kissed her, and knew deep inside that tonight, there was no turning back for either of them. So she closed her eyes and kissed him back with all the stored up passion she felt in three weeks, willingly giving all her inexperienced, timid self up to the feelings he was invoking in her.

Kenshin felt her legs give way, and in his thoughts he smiled wolfishly. _I still got it! _He held her tighter and then decided they would be better off in a bed so without breaking the kiss, he carried her in his arms and started toward the first door he could find. He ended up going to the bathroom and nearly tripped over the tub in the dark. Kaoru giggled, and hid her face in the crook of his neck. "So you think this is funny, huh, woman! Arrrrr" Kenshin mockingly growled and nipped her ear. Kaoru giggled some more and squealed in reply as she felt his tongue tracing the contours of her ear "Bedroom is next door on the right! Hurry Kenshin!!!" 

"As you command, my lady!" Kenshin moved his mouth to her jawline and walked towards where she directed, still biting and teasing as she muzzled his neck, opening a shoji leading to a dimly lit bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed, positioned himself on his hands and knees above her and looked deeply into those blue eyes he loved so much. Slowly, Kaoru's giggles quieted as she looked up at him, serious now.

"Before we go on, I want to tell you something, so that you won't think it was done in the heat of the moment or anything. I love you, Kaoru. I fell for you the minute you knocked me out with your bokken here in this very house. And if you think that we shouldn't be doing this now, I'll stop and give you time to tell me when, even if it kills me."

Kaoru's heart sang with joy. _He loves me!!! He loves me!!! Baka Kaoru for thinking he didn't! _Slowly, she felt her eyes fill slowly with tears. 

"Hey, don't cry, koishii, you know I don't like seeing you cry…" Kenshin kissed her tears away and brushed his lips lightly against hers. "You don't have to tell me that you love me too, just being here with you is enough…" More butterfly kisses. His hand snaked up to her ribs and stroked, the simple caress sending shots of pleasure down Kaoru's body. 

"Ah—I'm… crying because ooooh that tickles… I'm--- Ken! So happy!" Kaoru started kissing him back, shifting her hands in his hair and dragging him closer to her. 

"So I'm guessing that's a yes-we-are-going-through-with-this?" Kenshin pinned Kaoru down on the bed and looked at her damp eyes. Kaoru solemnly nodded, and Kenshin grinned, adding "Good, cause the time I gave you was just about to run out, that it was!" Kaoru scrunched up her nose and gave Kenshin a playful tug on his hair.

"Oww! Hmmm… so you want to play, huh?" Kenshin said and with a mock growl, his mouth pounced on hers. All playfulness was lost as the kiss grew deeper, more passionate. He tugged Kaoru up to a sitting position (he was still in between her legs, though) and removed the robe she was wearing, while she unbuttoned his shirt. He grinned when he saw what she wearing underneath; an oversize nightshirt that looked as if it belonged more to a twelve year old. She held her arms up like a child and he removed that for her too. 

Kenshin took in his first sight of what he had only dreamed about. Except that reality was better. She was perfect. Years of hard physical training had molded her body into a firm, toned one, but she still had the softness and fragility of womanhood. His eyes took in the creamy skin, pert breasts, small waist and the small yellow cotton panties. _Ah, _he thought, _those will come off soon enough. _It also did not escape his notice that her blush was really up to her toes. His smiling eyes came to rest again upon her face, and found her with her eyes squeezed shut and appealingly pink all over. He chuckled at her modesty, and thanked the gods in his head that although he knew she wasn't a virgin, she obviously wasn't passed around. Taking advantage of the situation, he peeled off all his clothes except his boxers and once again sat cross-legged where he was.

"Kaoru? Honey?"

"What?" Kaoru replied, still not opening her eyes.

"Are you going to open your eyes soon?"

She shook her head vigorously, making her hair swish around her body provocatively. "I'm… I'm… afraid--- I'm going to see disappointment in yours." She said in a rush.

"Oro?!"

"Ah--- Enishi--- old boyfriend-- used to say making love to me was better in the dark because I had a pretty face but with the body of a boy…" Kaoru felt her face being held, and felt Kenshin's breath on her lips as he said—

"Then your ex was more of a baka-idiot than I was because there is nothing remotely boyish about you. You're beautiful, koishii. Like an angel, that you are. My angel." Kenshin suddenly understood why she never gave him a clear signal that she wanted him. She didn't know how! He thanked the Gods again for the idiocy of her first boyfriend, because he wouldn't have met her otherwise. On the other hand, he would pound into the dust whoever else had the guts to say that Kaoru had the body of a boy in the future.

Kaoru finally braved enough muster to open one eye, then the other. She saw warm purple eyes with radiating lines of amber looking at her intently, and to find that he had stripped down to his underwear too. _He's made of rope and steel, _she thought, _he's perfect, just like I thought he would be_, looking at the lean muscles that were developed from his past, with all the scars and imperfections. Her curious, wandering eyes finally made it down to his boxers with crystal clear evidence that he wanted her, and she smiled, a woman's knowing smile, glad that she made him feel that way. 

"You're so different from me…" Kaoru commented, a little breathlessly, tentatively reaching out and splaying her hand on his chest, where his heart was running a mile a minute.

"I certainly hope so" came Kenshin's husky reply, while he slowly leaned forward to claim her lips in another kiss. No more words were needed as he carefully pushed her back down on the bed, positioning himself on top of her. The kiss grew steadily heated as his hand cupped her breast and he slowly kneaded it. She gasped, arching her back into him. He then broke the kiss and leisurely placed open mouthed kisses following a path going to where his hand was, and finally came to a pebble hard nipple that he suckled tenderly, his tongue laving her over and over again. She mewled her pleasure, and moaned as Kenshin's other hand covered her other breast and did the same thing.

When his mouth finally moved over to the other breast, Kaoru was already panting, her hands growing wild as they sought for a hold in his shoulders, in his head until finally settling on his hair that she started tugging painfully. Her legs started rubbing up and down on Kenshin's thighs restlessly, trying to find a way unconsciously to even bring them closer together. Every move she made was playing havoc on Kenshin's senses, and his mouth and fingers became a little more urgent, more seeking, more demanding, nearly past caring of physical pain in his blinding urgency to give and to take. His hand plunged fast in between them as his lips savaged hers again and ripped her panties off in an almost furious effort to find her most sensitive spot. He swallowed her moans into him as he found the small nub and played it between his fingers. Dampness assaulted his fingers' quest when he slipped them into her moist passage, and as she arched and gave herself up into his clever, clever hands, he knew almost instantaneously when she had reached her first climax.

This time it was no longer fireworks.

It was like a million nuclear explosions going inside her body, and at the same time, a weightless, decadent feeling as Kaoru shuddered and mewled into Kenshin's mouth at the same time she tightened around his touch. Satisfied that he had readied her, Kenshin rode the crest of her peak and drove himself full hilt into her. Startled at the new sensation this caused, Kaoru's deep sapphire eyes and met pure amber staring back. Fascinated, they held each other's stare as their fevered touches and bodies set the pace into a fast, nearly violent joining. As he drove into her again and again, Kenshin prayed that he would hold his orgasm he felt running full tilt into him before Kaoru could. And for once, Buddha was listening. Before long she could no longer control the bright sparks of togetherness he made her feel and cried his name out over and over again. Finally, at long last, he made himself let go of his control and went over the happy proverbial cliff with her, his hoarse cries mingling with her own. 

-o-

In the aftermath, Kaoru was tired, spent, and happy spooning in Kenshin's arms, where she belonged at last. She smiled over the differences of the only lovers she ever had in her short life, comparing. _Enishi bragged that he could make my body moan, but Kenshin proved that he can make me weep and sing! I would not have believed if last week, someone told me that I would be sleeping with the only person that I would ever love… _With happy thoughts in her head, she turned around, grinning at the protective way Kenshin instinctively curled himself around her, one muscular leg trapping both of hers in the full body embrace.

"Kaoru?"

"Mmmm… I thought that you were sleeping. Aren't you tired?"

Kaoru felt the answering smile rather than saw it. She was actually more in tune with him than he thought. She sighed softly, placing her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I was, but why sleep when you have the woman you've dreamt off every night in your arms?" Kenshin whispered, still amazed that she had let him love her.

"Really? That's what I thought too…" Kaoru giggled.

Kenshin's eyes widened at this information. Kaoru dreamt of him? Strange… They _were_ more connected than he thought.

"And just in case you were wondering, I love you too."

Kenshin's heart thudded rapidly against her cheek.

"Wha—what did you say?"

Kaoru raised herself on one elbow, making sure he could every nuance of her face.

"I. Love. You. You. The scarred you. The idiot you. The gentle you. The passionate you. Every inch of you. You." She stated simply, and with all her heart.

Battousai saluted his counterpart, for once at peace over the fact that the rurouni won the biggest coup of all. Kaoru and her heart. 

Kenshin hugged her to him, saying thank you over and over to Kaoru and a presence he could not see but he felt, for giving him the most precious gift of all.

And best of all, it was given to him from across the hallway.

-o-

The New York Times held a simple announcement in the weddings section, almost unnoticed by all except those who knew. It stated, 

"Jaded town detective marries lively school teacher. Kenshin Himura and Kaoru Kamiya tie the knot at 2PM this afternoon, in Central Park. Free drinks at the Saiyuki bar on 12th and Kensington tonight and may the best wager on the upcoming gender of their future child win! Girl against Boy odds are 3:1, FYI. Additional bets welcome, list with the barkeep. Fox lady not included."

Three guesses as to WHO posted that up!

**The End.  
**

____________________  


  
A/N: Comedy 'til the end, what can I say? Anyway, Thanks, for all who are silent and kept with me through all the chapters, and BIG thanks and hug to Azuma_ninja, who kept me at it til it was done.  


Tell me what you think!  


Til next time,  
twish  


****

****


End file.
